Campaign to prevent the causes of most truck and bus accidents on RSA roads
With the high incidents of truck and bus crashes reported over the past few months where lives are lost due to amongst others human error such as speeding, fatigue and unsafe overtaking, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has partnered with Santam Heavy Haulage, Sanlam, Master Drive and Fleetwatch to create a road safety awareness campaign targeting truck and bus drivers.
The awareness campaign will kick start on the 27th of July on the N4 Donkerhoek Traffic Control Centre, where all stakeholders will focus their interventions on the truck drivers and information regarding lethal offences such as fatigue, distracted driving, dangerous driving, and impaired driving.
The RTMC recognises that it is not able to fight the road carnage alone and a uniformed approach is necessary for a greater impact. The Road Safety truck driver awareness will be an effort to create much needed awareness to drivers and equip and refresh minds of safer road conduct.
RTMC CEO Advocate Makhosini said: “Combating the scourge of road carnage in our roads requires a collaborative effort to improve the safety of our citizens. This joint effort with Santam will help us to reach more road users with message that reinforce positive driver behaviour.”
While individual road users are expected to be responsible for complying with traffic laws and behaving in a safe manner, it can no longer be assumed that the burden of road safety responsibility simply rests with the individual road user. Many organizations have a primary responsibility to provide a safe operating environment for road users. Road safety responsibilities also extend to various professional groups, as well as the broader community. Partnerships with other stakeholders became of utmost importance.
Anton Cornelissen, Head of Santam Heavy Haulage said: “The partnership between Santam and the RTMC, now in its sixth year, is a collaborative effort with other stakeholders such as Law Enforcement, the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry (NBCRFLI) to raise awareness around truck driver wellness and its impact on the safety on our roads.
“Drivers are the backbone of the trucking industry, and by the nature of the work they do, they work under unique physically demanding conditions, putting them at increased risk of a range of chronic health conditions, including diabetes and hypertension. These conditions, coupled with fatigue, can negatively affect the reaction time, and significantly increase the risk of collisions,” says Cornelissen.
A baseline study conducted by the RTMC shows that a total of 4 001 trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2022. A total of 2 560 fatal crashes were recorded with 3 413 fatalities with a combined crash severity of 1.33 (average fatalities per crash).
The KwaZulu-Natal province recorded the highest number of fatal crashes with 21.6% or 552 where trucks and buses were involved. The lowest number of truck and bus related fatal crashes were recorded in the Northern Cape Province with only 2.5% or 65 such crashes.
A total of 455 buses were involved in 323 fatal crashes with 487 fatalities recorded in such crashes. The Gauteng province recorded the highest number of fatal crashes where buses were involved with 23.5% or 76 fatal crashes. The lowest number of bus fatal crashes were recorded in the Northern Cape Province with 1.9% or 6 such crashes.
Truck crashes were further analysed to indicate the day of the week and the time of the day during when most truck crashes occur. The most crashes where trucks were involved over the study period are between 18:00 and 22:00 on Saturdays with 187 reported crashes where trucks were involved or 5.3% of such crashes. Second highest, between 18:00 and 22:00 on Sundays with 176 or 5.0% of crashes where trucks were involved.
The most fatal crashes where trucks were involved occurred on during the four-hour period between 18:00 and 22:00 on Saturdays and Sundays with a combined total of 363 or 10.2% such fatal crashes.
The most fatal crashes where buses were involved in over the study period are between 05:00 and 08:00 on Sundays with 36 or 7.0% of such crashes recorded. The second highest period where buses were involved in fatal crashes were between 05:00 and 08:00 on Saturdays with 25 or or 5.5% of such crashes.
Most fatal crashes where buses were involved in occurred on Saturdays and Sundays with a combined total of 57 or 12.5% of fatal bus related crashes. The time between 05:00 and 05:00 has the highest recorded fatal bus related crashed with 126 or 27.7% such fatal crashes.
The most fatal crashes where trucks were involved over the study period were recorded on the N3 in the Harrismith SAPS Area in the Free State province where 44 trucks were involved in 26 fatal crashes with 45 fatalities recorded.
A total of 71.2% or 148 of the fatal truck related crashes occurred in the KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and the Mpumalanga provinces. The province with the most road segments with truck related fatal crashes within the Top 20 is the KwaZulu-Natal province.
Cornelissen explains that by choosing different locations around South Africa for the driver wellness days, the programme can reach a wider audience and cater to the needs of truck drivers across the country.
“By hosting events in various locations, we can ensure accessibility and convenience for truck drivers who may be traveling through different routes. This approach demonstrates our commitment to supporting truck drivers nationwide and promoting road safety on a broader scale.”
The activations will address both the physical health of drivers as well as the health of vehicles. A mobile clinic from the NBCRFLI will provide free medical examinations for truck drivers to look at key indicators such as blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Based on these results, information on wellness factors such as the correct diet and tips to prevent fatigue will be shared with participants, says Cornelissen. Law enforcement officers will be onsite to inspect the trucks to ensure they are roadworthy and not overloaded.
Cornelissen concludes that to keep expanding on the success of the initiative, this series of events will go beyond general wellness and focus on addressing the specific challenges and needs of truck drivers. “We aim to make it more impactful and relevant for drivers by always expanding the number of stakeholders that offer value and free services like health checks for drivers at these events. This also provides us a valuable opportunity to interact with the actual drivers and highlight to them the importance of safe driving practices, fatigue management, and overall well-being.”
Subsequent events will take place on 14 September 2023 at N4 Bapong and 20 December 2023 at N3 Heidelberg.
Media Enquiries:
Simon Zwane
Cell: 082 551 9892
