Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has commended the various stakeholders of the road transport industry for their dedication and commitment towards implementation of the Road Transports Management System (RTMS) to reduce road deaths.
The RTMS is an industry-led voluntary self-regulation scheme that encourages consignees, consignors and road transporters to implement a management system that preserves road infrastructure, improves road safety and increases productivity. The system’s key components are load optimisation, driver wellness, vehicle maintenance and productivity. It is designed to show transport companies how to take more corporate responsibility for road safety.
A national RTMS steering committee is responsible for the promotion and administration of RTMS within South Africa. The national committee comprises individuals that represent major industries and aligned stakeholders within the country including the following: Department of Transport (National & Provincial), CSIR, South Africa National Roads Agency (SANRAL), Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (FESARTA), Agricultural Business Chamber, Chamber of Mines, SA Association of Freight Forwarders, Road Freight Association, South African Ready Mix Association (SARMA) as well representatives from the RTMS industry committees ( Forestry, Sugar and Coal).
“Despite concerted and ongoing law enforcement operations, the sharp increase in heavy vehicle traffic and the effects of overloading continue to be a major challenge on South African roads,” Minister Ndebele said. “Overloaded heavy motor vehicles are daily involved in numerous road crashes and impact negatively on the road condition. Poorly maintained trucks, badly secured loads and inadequately trained or exhausted drivers pose road safety dangers that can be avoided.
“South Africa can no longer afford the accelerated damage of its road network, the high human and financial cost of road crashes as well as the inconvenience and time lost due to road closures as a result of accidents. It is therefore essential that we all contribute to solving this challenge and to this end the RTMS is most welcome.
“As we head towards the official world-wide launch of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 next Wednesday (11 May 2011), we call upon more South Africans to take responsibility for their safety on the roads. South Africa fully supports the Make Roads Safe campaign as well as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, to reduce the appalling projected increase in road deaths. Let us strengthen this global movement that is demanding real action against road deaths. But, we must act now,” said Minister Ndebele.
For more information on RTMS, contact:
Paul Nordengen at the CSIR
Tel: 012 841 3945
E-mail: pnordengen@csir.co.za
Media enquiries:
Logan Maistry
Cell: 083 6444 050
