MEC for Community Safety, Lennit Max and City of Cape Town Mayco member, JP Smith will today launch a 30 day blitz on seatbelt and number plate compliance, and cell phone usage while driving.
At 13h00 today, MEC Max and Transport MEC Robin Carlisle will travel in separate ghost squad police cars to personally observe the operation. Over the next month, a team constituted of provincial and City of Cape Town traffic officials will conduct a variety of mini-blitzes throughout the metropole to clampdown on the three traffic offences.
The City of Cape Town processed 1 874 number plate offences, 661 cell phone offences and 3 034 safety belt offences in January.
MEC Carlisle said: “The blitz is the first of a rollout of special traffic enforcement operations for 2010 under the banner of the provincial government’s Safely Home campaign which aims to halve road fatalities in the province by 2014. The province and city are determined to avoid the spike in road carnage of recent years”.
MEC Max was emphatic that the blitz will help change perceptions about seatbelt compliance.
“Many motorists only wear a seatbelt to avoid a fine or arrest. We want motorists to buckle up because they can save lives by simply wearing their seatbelts. Too many lives have been lost on our roads due to human negligence. Research shows that we can reduce road fatalities by at least thirty percent (30 percent) by enforcing seatbelt compliance”.
MEC Max also urged motorists to take personal responsibility for the safety of their passengers.
“Every motorist must also ensure that their passengers buckle up. Motorists who fail to do so will be prosecuted without fear or favour”.
A recent study by the Automobile Association (AA) showed that South Africa’s average seatbelt wearing rate for all occupants is 56 percent. This is too low compared to international practice.
Councillor Smith highlighted the real dangers of using a cell phone while driving.
“Using a cell phone while driving; be it talking or texting has the same consequences as drunk driving. It results in avoidable accidents and fatalities. We hope this blitz will significantly reverse the reckless trend of using a cell phone while driving”.
The mini-blitzes are rooted in “back to basics” government, Max observed. When basic traffic laws are adhered to, citizens’ adherence of all traffic laws increases dramatically.
Research shows that a staggering 80 percent of all road accidents can be attributed to human factors in South Africa. The Human Factors quarterly journal crisply states: “Cell phone distraction causes a multitude of deaths and injuries yearly”.
The same study reveals that motorists who engage in cell phone conversations while driving are less capable than drunk drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding 0.08. The ubiquity of cell phones in our society fuels these alarming statistics.
Media enquiries:
Solly Malatsi
Cell: 083 641 9691
Councillor JP Smith
Cell: 083 675 3780
Nicolette van Zyl-Gous
Cell: 083 607 0724
Solly Malatsi
Tel: 083 641 9691
Cell: 021 483 8954
