Conference by Mr Jeff Radebe, MP, Minister of Transport, Cape Town
31 May 2007
Programme Director
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Robert Okello, Director of New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) and
Regional Integration, United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Africa
David Njoroge, (AA Kenya) Member for Africa, Commission for Global Road
Safety
EJ Kok, Managing Director, The Automobile Association of South Africa
Representatives from various organisations
Distinguished guests
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
The work of the FIA foundation, Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) and
the Automobile Association of South Africa (AASA) in the field of road safety
is commendable. Road accidents and fatalities on the roads are a worldwide
phenomenon but above all the poor bear the brunt of these road accidents.
Studies show that children of lower income families are more likely to be
injured in road crashes compared to those from "well to do" families. Increased
exposure contributes to this problem with poor families unable to afford to
live away from busy roads. A practical assumption to make here is that while
not all pedestrians are poor, the poor will be pedestrians.
The impact of road accidents on the poor should not only be measured by the
casualty rate alone .The poor will be less likely to accommodate the impact of
a road death or serious injury as there will be little savings available and
repercussions on other family members can be expected, particularly with women
bearing the burden of care.
The problem of road accidents, therefore, requires all role players to form
partnerships in order to make a meaningful impact in the fight against the
deaths on our roads. Partnerships with the private sector, governments and
communities are critical in the war against the carnage on the roads. Low and
middle income countries account for 80% of global deaths from road traffic
crashes and this condemns the people in these countries to perpetual
poverty.
Increased global economic activity and growth led to increased traffic on
the roads. Road accidents are the second leading cause of deaths globally among
young people aged five to 29 and the third leading cause of death for people
aged 30 to 44 years. According to reports from the World Health Organisation
(WHO), the highest rates of road traffic crashes occur among road users aged
between the 0 to 25 year range in African and the Eastern Mediterranean
regions.
More than 1,2 million people are killed every year and over 100 000 are
injured on roads worldwide every day. Road accidents disable as many as 50
million more per annum globally and the economic impact is very severe in low
and middle income countries.
In South Africa on average 700 000 accidents occur on our roads and more
than 13 000 people are killed annually. These accidents and fatalities cost the
economy R43 billion a year. The situation as described above is intolerable and
cannot be allowed to continue.
It is against this background that road safety in our country is receiving
high priority. The government of South Africa through many initiatives and
projects is trying hard to improve the lot of the poor. Through the Department
of Transport the road safety initiatives are meant to address poverty by making
sure that the roads are safe and breadwinners do not perish on the roads and
leave orphans who will be condemned to a life of poverty and misery.
The migration from the National Transport Information System (NATIS) to the
Electronic National Transport Information System (eNaTIS) has advantages for
motorists and road safety. One of the new functions that will be added to the
eNaTIS will enable motorists to do transactions using the internet. It is also
important to note that no information was lost during the migration from the
old NaTIS to the new eNaTIS.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation Act of April 1999, provides for the
establishment of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC). Recognising
the importance of regulating public transport and road traffic in the interest
of safety and quality of life of all South Africans, the RTMC was created
to:
* enhance the overall quality of road traffic management and service
provision
* strengthen the co-operation and co-ordination between the national,
provincial and local spheres of government in the management of road
traffic
* maximise the effectiveness of provincial and local government efforts
particularly in road traffic law enforcement
* guide and sustain the expansion of private sector investment in road traffic
management.
The reduction in traffic fatalities and accidents requires a zero tolerance
approach to traffic offences. To have a meaningful impact such a law
enforcement approach needs to be well co-ordinated, adequately resourced and
visible to offending road users. We hope the RTMC will achieve this.
The establishment of this body also made it possible for the private sector
to participate in law enforcement efforts. Recently we received a donation of
more than 100 patrol vehicles from one of the most caring insurance companies
in our country. We are very grateful of this gesture and hope that this is the
beginning of things to come.
We are also in the process of implementing the Administrative Adjudication
of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO), which will help to overcome the culture of
"impunity" into violation of road rules and fine payment. This will also force
people to change their behaviour on the road. AARTO brings with it parity of
fines which will encourage the public to take fines seriously.
It also brings with it an improved fine collection and revenue system for
the benefit of road safety improvement, as well as a more convenient way of
paying fines and most importantly, penalties (disincentives) for not doing so
and therefore leading eventually to among others confiscation of property.
The AARTO Act also introduces a National Contravention Register that will be
linked to the new eNaTIS system. Repeat offenders will also be punished through
a points demerit system which will lead to confiscation of driver's licences or
a heavy financial penalty when re-licensing vehicles. The AARTO will also allow
us to determine where problem areas are in terms of behaviour and will also
allow us to deploy law enforcement officers in areas where they need to be,
with full knowledge of offences.
The present system of fine collection is inadequate. Fines are either not
paid or are substantially reduced by the courts. All notices will be issued by
or on behalf of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA). All contraventions
will be immediately recorded on a real time database that will enable us to
identify repeat offenders.
Pedestrian safety
Pedestrian safety is also at the top of our priority programmes because half
of the deaths that occur on South African roads are those of pedestrians.
Challenges with regard to this state of affairs include the following:
* Many roads are not designed for pedestrian use, as they lack basic
infrastructural features such as side-walks and pedestrian crossings.
* Alcohol abuse also has a bearing in pedestrian carnage. It has been found out
recently that 70% of adult pedestrians who die on our roads are found to have
consumed large amounts of alcohol.
* Lack of visibility of pedestrians is also a problem; prompting the Department
to introduce measure such as the need to have retro-reflective material,
especially on school uniforms and bags.
Seatbelts
The rate of wearing seatbelt in South Africa is alarmingly low, particularly
among back seat passengers. Our National Road Traffic Act (1996) is very clear
on this matter as it stipulates that all occupants of a vehicle should wear
their seatbelts and children should be in child restraint equipment.
South Africa as a developing country is challenged by the unavailability of
safe public transport and therefore allows for the conveyance of passengers in
specially adapted goods vehicles in certain circumstances and conditions. In
precise terminology the relevant regulation states that no person shall be
conveyed in the goods compartment together with any tools or goods, except
their personal effects, unless that portion in which such goods are being
conveyed is separated by means of a partition from the portion in which such
goods are being conveyed.
Appropriate investment in infrastructure development will go a long way in
improving road safety. Cabinet approved the following strategies and plans to
ensure a radical transformation of our transport infrastructure, systems and
operations:
* Road Infrastructure Strategic Framework of South Africa
* Road Safety Strategy
* Public Transport Strategy and Plan
* Transport Action Plan for 2010
* Rail Plan.
In the next three to five years (as we implement the above strategies and
plans) we will make the following investments into our transport system:
* R8,5 billion for Passenger Rail Infrastructure
* R8,2 billion for Public Transport Infrastructure excluding rail
* R5,5 billion for National Roads Infrastructure
* R19,2 billion for Airports Infrastructure
* R7 billion for Taxi Recapitalisation Programme
* R9,2 billion to support the preparation for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
The non-toll budget allocation for South African National Road Agency
Limited (SANRAL) increased from R652 million to R2,2 billion in R2006/07, an
increase of 137%.
The point we want to emphasise is that government is serious about the
improvement of the transport environment for the purpose of, among others
promoting road safety. We are convinced that the return on these investments
will be favourable.
In conclusion, the Department of Transport is committed to all efforts done
by bodies and institutions like yours to reduce fatalities and serious injuries
on the roads. We support all global road safety initiatives as we are also very
much affected by road deaths in this country.
I wish all of you fruitful discussions in this very important
conference.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Transport
31 May 2007
