The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) in partnership with the South African Roads Federation (SARF) will be hosting an International Road Safety conference following the launch of the United Nation Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020. The Decade of Action for Road Safety was launched world-wide on 11 May 2011 and aims to save lives by halting the increasing trends in road traffic deaths and injuries world-wide.
The RTMC as a Road Safety lead agency in South Africa is a member of the United Nations Road Safety collaboration. The progress made in South Africa will be measured against the performance of other member agencies. It is with this background in mind that the conference is arranged, in order to receive a wider stakeholder buy in and to come up with concrete programmes that talk to the pillars of the decade of action.
By all accounts the death of approximately 1.3 million people every year on the world’s roads and 14 000 people every year on South African roads is fit to be described as an epidemic which needs the nation to stand together with the world to declare that road deaths can be stopped.
The International Road Safety conference will be held on 7 to 8 June 2011 at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria. The objectives of the conference will entail the following, among others:
- Identifying and understanding the issues related to the high accident rates in developing and emerging nations
- Sharing best local, regional and international practices and experiences which can be translated into action plans to reduce fatalities and serious injuries and
- Developing action plans and strategies to reduce the perpetuation of road user deaths and injury rates in line with the principles of the Decade of Action.
The conference will feature renowned international speakers who will address, among others the driver fitness and behaviour, habits that kill, the impact of road infrastructure on road safety, the safety standard of cars, regulation, education programmes, and road deaths in South Africa.
Enquiries:
Zodwa Mtsweni
Cell: 079 511 9734
