Programme Director
Road Traffic Management Corporation Acting CEO: Mr Collins Letsoalo
Members of the Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Fraternity
Distinguished Guests
Members of the Media
Ladies and gentlemen
On 30 August 1997, more than 40,000 people gathered at Kings Park Stadium in Durban for our first mass road safety campaign called, “Siyabakhumbula, we remember them”. Siyabakhumbula focused on remembering those who had died on KwaZulu-Natal roads. It looked beyond statistics on our road carnage to the human face of those who had to deal with the trauma, both at the scene of collisions and in the families left behind.
Siyabakhumbula was highly personal, and allowed people to share their grief. It brought grieving families together in a way that they no longer felt alone.
Road traffic crashes kill nearly 1.3 million people across the world every year, and injure, or disable, as many as 50 million more. They are the leading cause of death among young people aged 10–24 years.
In October 2005, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a resolution, which calls for governments to mark the third Sunday in November each year as World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The day was created as a means to give recognition to victims of road traffic crashes, and the plight of their relatives who must cope with the emotional and practical consequences of these tragic events.
Dr Etienne Krug, Chair of the UN Road Safety Collaboration, said and I quote: “2011 has been a momentous year for road safety. On 11 May the international community marked the start of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020. Governments acknowledged the threat of road traffic deaths to health and development, and committed themselves to the Decade goal to save five million lives and prevent 50 million injuries.
The international community promotes efforts to ensure the rights of and improve services for the bereaved and injured and to reduce danger for all who use the world's roads. It supports the stated theme of this observance: ‘From Global Remembrance to Global Action across the Decade’. Let's indeed make 2011-2020 a Decade to remember! Taking action to save the lives of others will be our greatest tribute to the memory of those already lost.” Unquote.
On Tuesday (15 November) around 2am, 20 people were killed on the N1 in the Western Cape, when two mini-bus taxis heading towards Cape Town hit into a truck.
On 6 November, ten (10) Zion Christian Church (ZCC) members were killed when a bus overturned on the N1 highway in Polokwane. On 23 October, five joggers were killed in Midrand, Gauteng by a motorist who was allegedly driving drunk.
On 24 August, 15 school children were killed when the driver of a school bus lost control and went into a river in Knysna in the Western Cape.
Earlier today, we visited families in Atteridgeville who lost loved ones in road crashes. Our thoughts go out to families whose loved ones began their day like any other, never to return home. We wish them strength and courage, as they struggle to come to terms with their loss.
As you are aware, we have called on all South Africans to observe today (Friday, 18 November) as National Day of Prayer for Road Safety. We are deeply humbled by the overwhelming positive response we received to this call. All across our country today, individuals and organised formations will be praying for safety on our roads. We have also been called upon to dedicate a-day-a-month to prayer for safer roads.
Road safety is a key priority of the South African government, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year. However, road safety is not only government’s responsibility; road safety is everybody's responsibility. We are all affected by road crashes.
The greatest partners in this struggle against road carnage must be those who have lost relatives and friends in road crashes. The second group of partners in this fight must be the very young, who are yet to acquire bad driving habits, to whom wearing a seatbelt, not drinking and driving can still be acquired as a force of habit. The third set of partners must be the religious sector who shoulders the burden of burying the dead every day of the year somewhere around the world.
It is the living who close the eyes of the dead, but it is the dead who must open the eyes of the living.
A tragedy no country can afford
Over the coming weeks, traffic volumes on our major highways will peak with thousands of vehicles heading to various destinations for the December festive season. The time of festivity will have truly begun! Friends and families will take their deserved holidays, hoping to re-kindle their energies in preparation for the New Year 2012.
Ladies and gentlemen, the tragedy of our road statistics is that often, when we talk about deaths on our roads, we forget that behind the numbers are babies barely out of their mothers’ wombs; behind these numbers are young people with dreams of a bright future; mothers and fathers who leave behind their families with no source of income.
Often, it is people at the peak of their careers that we lose in road crashes, regardless of race, class or creed. At some point, this tragedy must end.
If we do not end this national tragedy, it is clear that the tragedy may end us, putting paid to our best plans and shattering our grandest visions for our future.
Road traffic deaths remove from us the benefit of every life’s potential contribution to the development of our society. By all accounts, this is a tragedy no country can least afford; it is a tragedy our country can least afford.
Leading cause of death
Around the world, 65% of deaths involve pedestrians and 35% of pedestrian deaths are children. In South Africa, more than 40% of road deaths involve pedestrians. The majority of road crash victims in developing countries are not motorised vehicle occupants, but pedestrians, motorcyclists and non-motorised vehicles.
The Global Burden of Disease study, undertaken by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Harvard University and the World Bank, showed that in 1990, traffic crashes were assessed to be the world’s ninth most important health problem. The study forecast that by 2020, road crashes would move up to third place in the table of leading causes of death and disability facing the world community.
Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020
Last month (October Transport Month), the “SADC Decade of Action for Road Safety" was launched in Centurion, and I was chosen as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Road Safety Champion. From Wednesday next week (23 November), Transport Ministers from Africa will gather in Angola where the SADC Decade of Action will be further discussed.
The objectives of the Decade of Action are to stabilise and reduce the forecast level of road traffic fatalities around the world by 2020. This will be attained through:
- Developing and implementing sustainable road safety strategies and programmes;
- Setting a target for the reduction of road fatalities by 2020, by building on existing frameworks of regional casualty targets;
- Strengthening the management of infrastructure and capacity for technical implementation of road safety activities at national, regional and global levels;
- Improving the quality of data collection at national, regional and global levels;
- Monitoring progress and performance on a number of pre-defined indicators at national, regional and global levels;
- Encouraging increased funding to road safety, and better use of existing resources, including through ensuring a road safety component within road infrastructure projects.
In South Africa, our challenges pertain to dangerous behaviour and attitude of road users. These include driving while intoxicated which plays a major role in crashes, lack of compliance in respect to seat belts, speed and losing control of the vehicle. In addition, fatigue, moving violations and pedestrian deaths account for a major portion of all fatalities. Added to these, vehicle and driver condition also contribute significantly to crashes.
The Department of Transport will continue creating more awareness around the Decade of Action for Road Safety, but, on our own, we cannot achieve the desired results.
In this regard, IMPERIAL Holdings has demonstrated its commitment by coming forward to work with us in the fight against road deaths, through the launch of the I-Pledge Road Safety Campaign. IMPERIAL introduced I-Pledge to its employees in July, and since then the I-Pledge counter has amassed over 25,400 pledges. The “Safer, friendlier roads start with me” – I-Pledge campaign encourages us to look to our own behaviour and bad habits on the roads. IMPERIAL, and other companies, have also joined hands with the Department of Transport as Friends of the Decade of Action for Road Safety. We urge more individuals and companies to join us in this project to save lives.
The taxi industry, through the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), must also be commended for their Operation Hlokomela. Bad taxi drivers must be reported to 0860 726 822.
Enforcement
Ladies and gentlemen, on 10 September 2010, we announced the new National Rolling Enforcement Plan (NREP) and million-a-month vehicle check.
From October 2010 to October 2011, 15,051,565 vehicles and drivers were checked, 6,287,308 fines issued for various traffic offences, 21,575 drunk drivers arrested and 60,313 un-roadworthy vehicles (the majority of which are buses and taxis) discontinued from use.
Over the past two months from 31 August to October 2011, as part of our pre-December holiday traffic law enforcement operations:
- 623,469 public transport vehicles were stopped and checked.
- 2,207 mini-buses, 885 buses and 1,699 trucks discontinued from use for being in an un-roadworthy condition.
- 93,945 fines issued for various public transport offences.
- More than 2,653 public transport drivers arrested including 371 for drunk driving, 1,947 for overloading, 91 for excessive speed, 28 for reckless and/or negligent driving and 154 in connection with public transport permits.
So far, the biggest success of the NREP is the alignment of traffic operations along monthly thematic approaches. Even though the NREP is yielding positive results, we still have a long way to go towards reducing offences and crashes and we do not have any reason to be complacent. In this regard, we have taken steps to revise the NREP to focus on the following critical areas:
- Medical Research Council's figures indicate that more than 60% of fatal crashes, especially over weekends, are as a result of abuse of alcohol, either by a driver or a pedestrian. As a result, as part of Operation Tshwara Setagwa, no less than 10,000 drivers will be screened every month for drunk driving.
- A concerted effort will be made regarding dangerous driving. Motorists will be arrested for excessive speed, reckless and negligent driving and barrier line infringements.
- Dedicated public passenger transport enforcement will be intensified. We are repeating our calls for all public transport operators to ensure that no long-distance trip is undertaken without a relief driver. Drivers of public transport vehicles, especially buses and taxis, cannot be expected to drive hundreds of kilometres for several hours without a relief driver on board, when fatigue is a major contributory factor to road crashes. Public transport employers have a duty to ensure the safety of their workers and customers.
- Research has proven, conclusively, that if we can increase the seatbelt wearing rate by 80%, for both front and rear passengers, there is a potential to reduce fatalities by 25-30%. We are, therefore, calling on all vehicle occupants to buckle up at all times. Seatbelts save lives. It will not prevent one from having a crash, but it will certainly reduce death or serious injury by 50%. (Don't be a "moegoe" by not buckling up!)
- Distracted driving, particularly in urban areas, is becoming a huge problem: motorists are seen daily talking on their cell phones and, now, even texting while driving. Talking while driving increases your chances of being involved in a crash by four times. Texting while driving is far more dangerous.
December joint operations plan
Given the coming Festive Season where high volumes of traffic are expected along various key arterial routes, during peak traffic flow days, and again in the high movement of traffic in various urban and rural locations once people have reached their destinations, traffic enforcement will be visible, pro-active and effective.
- The NREP looks at various aspects of driver and vehicle fitness, especially tyres, brakes, lights and shock absorbers.
- Traffic officers will also be on the look-out for drunk pedestrians, pedestrians on freeways and pedestrian jay walking.
- Since the 2010 FIFA World Cup, an average of 2,000 motorists have been arrested monthly for driving under the influence of alcohol. These operations will continue on various routes, and at various times, until every driver knows that drinking and driving is just not worth the risk.
- Vehicles not displaying registration plates, deliberately obscuring plates and displaying fraudulent plates will be treated as suspect vehicles and dealt with accordingly. Number plate recognition devices will be used to detect errant vehicles.
- There will be zero tolerance for drivers who continue to travel at excessive speeds with impunity. In some authorities, mobile violation recorders will be used to detect moving violations, while others will use “Distance over Time” technology to determine average speeds.
- All drivers must drive with their headlamps (Lights On) on at all times.
- Special inter-provincial corridor enforcement operations will take place on the N1 (Johannesburg – Cape Town), N1 (Johannesburg – Polokwane), N4 (Pretoria –Nelspruit), N14 (Pretoria – Mafikeng), N3 (Johannesburg – Durban) and the N2 (Cape Town – Umtata).
Ladies and gentlemen, today’s display by our enforcement and emergency officials demonstrates to our road users our state of preparedness. If you are law-abiding, then these knights in shining armour will be out there to ensure that you reach your destinations safely. If, however, you do not obey the rules, you will be arrested, you will be detained in police cells, you will be sentenced to a hefty fine and/or imprisonment and your driving licence will be suspended and/or cancelled. Should you be involved in a fatal road crash, you will face charges of murder or culpable homicide.
In closing, 14,000 people die every year on our roads, over 1,000 every month and 40 every day. This is cause for us to wake up! Why must right thinking people allow this to continue?
Only you and I can stop this tragedy. Let us celebrate this festive season by appreciating the most precious gift that we have all been given, the gift of life.
As we celebrate, let us do so aware of our responsibility to others on the roads. Let us drive to save lives, and end death on our roads!
Report road traffic offences to 0861 400 800.
Thank you.
