Pledging safer roads

Ministers of transport from SADC pledge their support to improve road safetySADC ministers have thrown their weight behind a global call to make roads safer, joining the UN’s Decade of Action, which aims to cut the number of fatalities.
MORE than 3 000 people around the world are killed in road accidents daily. South Africa accounts for at least 40 of these deaths; this equates to about 14 000 deaths a year.

We want to stop all forms of recklessness: South African Transport Minister Sibusiso NdebeleWe want to stop all forms of recklessness: South African Transport Minister Sibusiso NdebeleIn an effort to curb this figure, ministers of transport from member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have all pledged their support for the United Nation’s Decade of Action 2011-2020 campaign to improve road safety and decrease the number of fatalities.

They gathered at a three-day conference at the Royal Elephant Hotel and Conference Centre in Centurion, Pretoria to talk about regional integration, and formally signed the pledge on 7 October.

It was part of the activities of Transport Month, which falls in October each year.

“We want to stop all forms of recklessness, which includes texting and drinking and driving,” said South African Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele, at the announcement of the pledge. “The number of deaths is an epidemic, a crisis. There are 2 000 people who have died in road crashes in the last two months – if this isn’t a crisis, I don’t know what is.”

Carnage
The statistics are equally alarming in the rest of the SADC. To raise awareness about the extent of the carnage, the 15 SADC countries have banded together to play their part.

These countries are: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Encouraging responsible road-useEncouraging responsible road-useAs part of the campaign, the UN has called on governments to reduce the number of projected global road deaths by 50 percent by the turn of the decade in 2020.

Ndebele is committed to ensuring that South Africa does its bit to achieve this goal. “I believe that moving from 14 000 deaths to 7 000 deaths is achievable.” This will mean cracking down on reckless and negligent driving.

Initiatives his department hopes to institute to reduce carnage on the roads include a roadworthiness test for any car that is over three years old and for any cars crossing the borders into the country, as well as more roadblocks.

A higher number of roadblocks will improve the visibility of police on the roads and will discourage irresponsible behaviour on the roads.

Driving licence
Also in the pipeline, according to Ndebele, is implementing a requirement that drivers have at least 120 hours of actual driving, with 20 hours dedicated to night driving, between getting their learner’s licence and their driving licence.

“There will be no such thing as getting your learner’s licence one week and having your driver’s the next,” he said.

His words were supported by Jabulani Mthembu, the president of the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco). “It is not a decade of planning or motivation, but action,” Mthembu said. “It is people-centred and driven because the government has realised that nothing will improve unless they get ordinary citizens to take action.”

Santaco’s involvement in the Decade of Action comes through its Hlokomela campaign, which is working to get the taxi industry to take ownership of and responsibility for the safety of passengers, pedestrians and other motorists.

Actions include: the inspection of vehicles before they leave taxi ranks; evaluation of the driver’s physical condition and monitoring of their behaviour through commuter’s response and phone calls to the call centre; registration of driver and commuter details on long-distance trips for feedback on commuter experience; a 24-hour call centre over the festive season to provide support and register complaints; provision of driver support in case of emergencies; and co-operation with traffic officials and the Arrive Alive campaign to ensure compliance with traffic laws and minimise danger.

Taxi passenger
A driving force behind the campaign is also to get passengers and children involved in taking action against recklessness. Mthembu cited overloading in minibus taxis and said that passengers needed to take responsibility too.

“It is your right to refuse to get into a taxi that is full,” he pointed out.

As well as the adverse effect on population figures, road crashes also have a negative impact on the economy; they cost around R46 billion each year. Ndebele saw this as a “clarion call for the SADC region and all Africans to reduce fatalities”.

Augusto da Silva Tomas, the Angolan minister of transport and the chairperson of the SADC committee of ministers responsible for transport and meteorology, commented: “Now is the time to act positively to achieve the goal of the decade.

“Road safety requires passion and dedication. SADC recognises the global burden of 1.3 million fatalities every year and [we] commit ourselves collectively to provide guidance on road safety,” he said. “We are coming together to proclaim ‘together we can save millions of lives.’”

Joburg has a variety of events on the agenda during Transport Month to raise awareness of the important role that transport plays in our lives.

There will be a clean-up in Alexandra on 11 October to clear kerb inlets and storm water drainage infrastructure before the summer rains hit; a road safety and information-sharing session at the Gold Reef City conference centre on 25 October; and a “know your city” tour with 100 bus and minibus drivers on 31 October.