B Cele: Road Safety Campaign summer holidays launch

4 December 2006

All protocol observed:

Road crashes and fatalities continue to pose a huge burden to our economy
with a loss of R43 billion annually. According to statistics, road crashes are
the second leading causes of death in the whole world among young people aged
between 30 to 44 years. Needless to say road accidents account for one of the
major causes South Africa loses its fine talent in the arts and business
sector, in general, who would have made a meaningful contribution towards the
growth of our thriving nation. Road crashes of appalling horror occur almost
every day. We all know about it and we all also know that we need a greater
sense of responsibility as nobody benefits from this situation.

According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), every year in
South Africa around 14 000 people die and close to 150 000 people are injured
in road traffic accidents. On average, 67,5 percent of drivers, 33,3 percent of
front seat passengers and 93,2 percent backseat passengers do not wear
seatbelts.

While it is thought seatbelts may occasionally contribute to serious injury
or death to no wrong concept, nearly all safety experts agree that buckling up
dramatically increases your chances of surviving an accident. Seat belt use is
essential on every journey no matter how short or how slow and it is vital for
everyone in a car, especially kids.

The Automobile Association (AA) also emphasises that it is not just about
wearing seat belts in the front of the car. Rear seat belts also save lives and
can reduce the risk of death for a front seat car occupant by about 50
percent.

With the December holidays upon us the costs for police and emergency
services, damage to vehicles and property and lost output can cost the country
an estimated R12 billion per annum. It is for this reason that we are appealing
to road users to fully accept responsibility for their behaviour and that of
their families and friends to reduce the number of deaths on the road.

In our endeavour to provide a safe environment which will be advantageous to
the community and our visitors during the summer holidays, the KwaZulu-Natal
Department of Transport together with all relevant stakeholders will again
ensure a safe and trouble free utilisation of all public facilities and roads
within our provincial road network.

Summer holidays are a period when we intensify our road safety initiatives
as a result of increased traffic volumes. Historically the festive period is
always preceded by an influx of visitors from all parts of South Africa
including international and domestic holidaymakers.

During this period, migrant workers also travel home especially to
KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape to spend the holidays with their families.
The influx of people results in increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The
province of KwaZulu-Natal is annually faced with high numbers of fatalities
resulting from road carnages during the summer holidays.

Our mission as the Department will be to intensify high visibility patrols,
increased law enforcement on critical offences as well as the integrated and
co-ordinated efforts of all role players concerned. Planned activities would
revolve around national, provincial, local authority and community
priorities.

All law enforcement agencies and emergency services will be working in
unison to ensure our 100 percent compliance policy against traffic offenders in
an effort to curb the number of road crashes and to create maximum impact in
terms of law enforcement.

During 2005, KwaZulu-Natal recorded a 16 percent increase in fatal crashes
and a 23 percent increase in fatalities in comparison with previous years.
Pedestrians and overtaking related crashes featured predominately, however,
during the first nine months of 2006 from January to September the number of
fatal crashes in the country increased by 504 (5,81 percent) from 8 678 over
the same nine-month period in 2005 to 9 182 in 2006. During the same period the
number of fatalities increased by 857 (8,17 percent) from 10 481 in 2005 to 11
337 in 2006. KwaZulu-Natal recorded a decrease in fatal crashes by 158 (8,55
percent) from 1 848 in 2005 to 1 690 in 2006 and a decrease in fatalities by
126 (5,86 percent) from 2 152 in 2005 to 2 026 in 2006.

An analysis of the causes of these crashes also indicates that speeding,
drunken driving, driver fatigue, reckless and negligent driving, unroadworthy
vehicles, overtaking and dangerous pedestrian activity require specific
attention.

There will be no mercy shown to all traffic offenders during this festive
season. All personnel will be made available during this period to ensure
support for intensified law enforcement initiatives and they have been given
strict instructions to penalise all those who do not comply with traffic
rules.

I am indeed pleased that we have purchased four more state of art high speed
pursuit turbo charged Audi's to be used in specific areas such as Park Rynie,
Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith and Vryheid for high speed pursuit for those who
disregard traffic laws and hope to get away with their high powered vehicles.
Those days are gone!

Key elements of our 2006/07 summer holiday road safety plan include:

* Road blocks

To ensure a safer KwaZulu-Natal and protection of our very life,
multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional roadblocks will be set up in support
of "Asiphephe." These multi-disciplinary road blocks will be a regular feature
on our roads with daily roadblocks having been scheduled to target specific
areas at specific times.

The purpose of these major roadblocks will be clearly to demonstrate to the
public at large that all law enforcement agencies and security services are
united against recklessness, irresponsible behaviour and dangerous drivers.

The operations will further show that we are determined to jointly tackle
the problem of unroadworthy, unlicensed motor vehicles, overloaded vehicles and
unlicensed drivers.

Sting operations will be carried out with roving road blocks within targeted
areas and static roadblocks will be more prominent at toll plazas and entrances
to city centres and residential areas and will be conducted at times when most
road crashes occur after 20h00 and over weekends.

* N3 safe highway project

Visible policing will be highlighted during patrols by all enforcement
agencies by switching on their blue lights to reinforce police presence between
Gauteng and Durban. Tolcon vehicles which operate on the N3 from Cedara in
KwaZulu-Natal to Heidelberg in Gauteng will also patrol with their amber
flashing lights.

* Visible policing

All visible policing and traffic control will be increased in anticipation
of high traffic counts, large gatherings. Special attention will be given to
days and times identified as critical.

Specific patrols will be carried out along routes used by public transport
to transport migrant workers home in parts of northern KwaZulu-Natal and the
Eastern Cape. Buses and taxis will be stopped and both the driver and the
vehicle will undergo a fitness test and checked for correct certification as
well as non-wearing of seatbelts.

Public Transport Enforcement Unit (PTEU) will be deployed to problematic
areas that are affected by both public transport service problems as well as
road crashes.

* Alcohol operations

Alcohol abuse by drivers is usually associated with this time of the year
and as a counter measure all drivers stopped will be screened for alcohol,
thereby limiting their chances of going undetected. Since 1 December 2006, 54
motorists have been arrested for drinking and driving.

The booze bus will be used at every opportunity especially at roadblocks and
randomly during roadside checks. The booze bus will also be used as part of
high visibility policing strategy to create awareness and to act as a deterrent
for would be drunken drivers.

Alcohol is a major contributor to road crashes, every effort will be made
through education by the road safety directorate to discourage motorists from
driving after drinking and for this reason the target audience for this project
will be people partying at hotels, restaurants, taverns and clubs.

Once more I would like to say if you planning on drinking, 'omela ekhaya' or
make use of the designated driver programme. Please stay at home and drink at
the comfort of your sofas not on our roads.

* Speed operations

Special speed operations will be carried out in an effort to arrest chronic
homicidal speedsters who travel at high speeds hoping to avoid detection on the
N2 and N3 especially at Estcourt, Ladysmith, Park Rynie and Vryheid to Melmoth
along the R34.

Speed camera operations at fixed sites will be operational 24 hours. Other
speed operations will be effected in the early hours of the morning when
opportunity exists for drivers to speed when there are reduced traffic volumes.
A special focus on speed will also be carried within municipal areas where
pedestrian fatalities are high.

Our Mpimpa Call Centre will be fully operational 20 hours a day over the
holiday period to ensure that emergencies reported to the call centre are
immediately communicated to the relevant emergency services for response.

Mpimpa call centre: 086 221 1010. Also help centres will be set up on the N3
at Bergville and Balgowan as well as at the N11 in Newcastle.

* Road safety beach festival

Our road safety directorate in conjunction with other stakeholders will host
a major awareness campaign at the Ethekwini beach front. Road safety messages
will be spread to holidaymakers on the beach.

Furthermore our summer holiday operational plan will include:

* Seatbelt campaign as per the road traffic management corporations rolling
enforcement plan. Over 10 000 drivers and passengers will be checked for
non-wearing of seatbelts
* keep left pass right campaign
* lights on campaign to encourage all vehicles to drive with headlamps on in
support of the national road safety campaign
* not displaying front/rear registration plates
* operation "Tata" targeting pedestrian enforcement by arresting pedestrians
for being on foot on freeways.

Operation Khipa S'khoteni aimed at freight transport vehicles where late
night speed enforcement will be conducted.

In closing, I would like to say a few words regarding Van Reenen's Pass. The
speed limit in the slow lane will be reduced from 80 down to 60 kilometres per
hour and I am indeed pleased that from the 13 of December 2006, there will be
demarcated lane with restrictions on the steepest seven kilometres section of
the pass, effectively ensuring a dedicated truck lane supported by our newest
fixed camera site on the pass.

No vehicle with a gross mass of more than 16 tons will be allowed to travel
on either north bound or southbound in the fast lane of this section.

Furthermore, I would like to appeal for driver attitudes and behaviour to
change particularly on difficult terrain such as Van Reenen's Pass. Basic
issues such as speed limits, wearing of seatbelt, taking adequate rest breaks,
observing safe following distance and so on must be adhered to in order to
reduce crashes and fatalities on our roads. Together we must continue to strive
to increase respect for human life and treat road safety with the seriousness
it deserves.

I thank you!

Issued by: Ministry of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison,
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
4 December 2006
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kzntransport.gov.za/)