STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AT THE END OF THE 2013 EASTER PERIOD

PRETORIA - 08 APRIL 2013

Deputy Minister of Transport, Honourable Sindisiwe Chikunga

Director-General of the Department of Transport

Chief Executive Officers of the agencies of the Department

Members of the media

Ladies and gentlemen

I am pleased to address you at this press briefing, which seeks to report back to the public on the activities of the Department of Transport to promote the safety of pedestrians, passengers and freight during the 2013 Easter period.

The 2013 Easter weekend commenced on Thursday, 28 March 2013, and ended on Monday, 01 April 2013. It coincided with school holidays and took place at the end of the month which heightened the traffic volumes.

Per hour, over 2200 vehicles passed through the major arterial routes in Limpopo (N1), Kwazulu-Natal (N3), Mpumalanga (N4), Eastern Cape (R61), Free State (N1) and the Western Cape (N2).

As part of the all year long road safety and enforcement plan, the Department and its agencies, and MECs of Transport in South Africa’s nine provinces, heightened their road safety campaigns, which included education and awareness; enforcement and outreach to key stakeholders, which included taxi associations, bus companies, community organisations, and churches.

National traffic police officers were deployed along major routes to assist provinces and municipalities at identified hazardous locations. Road blocks, roadside checks, traffic patrols and general traffic monitoring were conducted by various provincial traffic authorities during the month of March 2013 to prepare for the Easter weekend. The enforcement part of the campaigns mainly focused on illegal and un-roadworthy vehicles and driver fitness related issues.

Two hundred and fifty thousand (250000) vehicles were stopped, resulting in the issuing of 79056 notices, the suspension of the licence discs of 1039 vehicles, impounding 1024 vehicles.

Eight hundred and sixty four (864) motorists were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Approximately 600 of these motorists were arrested in urban areas. Over 1500 people were arrested for other infringements including reckless and negligent driving; excessive speeding, lack of taxi/public transport permits, false documentation, and driving without licences.

During the same period, the Cross Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA) inspected 3368 vehicles, issued 619 notices and arrested 3 drivers for cross border road transport related issues.

Preliminary statistics supplied by the SA Police Services indicate that 241 people died as a result of 201 recorded fatal crashes. The final figures will be released once the SA Police Services and the traffic officials have reconciled the available information. It is a regrettable and sad reality that this year’s preliminary road fatality figure is higher than that of last year which was 217 as a result of 181 fatal crashes.

Initial trends indicate that pedestrians continue to be the main victims of the fatalities occurring on secondary road routes. A high percentage of the people who died on our road were pedestrians. Many passengers also lost their lives because they do not use safety belts. Only 2% of passengers use safety belts compared to 60% of drivers.

There was however a discernible decrease in the number of crashes along the main arterial routes. This can be attributed to a combination of visible law enforcement and proactive road safety education measures which were geared at making road users aware of their responsibilities for safe travel. A significant number of fatalities happened at secondary roads and this was largely due to motorists failing to stop at the stop signs, or driving at excessive high speeds.

Crash, contributory factors, were human error and vehicle and road conditions.. Human causes of road fatalities were mainly: driving at high speeds above the set speed limits, the abuse of alcohol by drivers and pedestrians, and dangerous and reckless overtaking.

With respect to motor vehicles, the most common defects were found on steering wheels, tyres and brakes.

There were also instances where poor road conditions contributed to road fatalities.

The Department of Transport, working with provinces, the department’s agencies, transport stakeholders and the general public, will continue to implement programmes aimed at promoting the safety of pedestrians, passengers and freight on the road. Promoting road safety remains one of the key priorities of the Department of Transport; hence our interventions will continue implemented throughout the year.

The Department will continue to mobilise South Africans to be active participants in our efforts to promote road safety and to reduce the death toll on our roads.

The Department will continue to prioritise the construction of pedestrian bridges, sidewalks and speed calming measures such as speed humps and rumble strips in rural areas and townships. The Department will also introduce measures aimed at reducing fatalities caused by stray animals.

From the 6th -12th May 2013, the Department of Transport will participate in the UN Week to promote the safety of pedestrians.

CONCLUSION

The Department of Transport commends the role played by police and health practitioners all transport stakeholders, motorists and the general public who continue in their gallant efforts to ensure that our roads are safe. In particular, we thank the traffic officers and health practitioners who were on duty over the Easter period. The Department values the partnership that has been forged with provincial and local governments, taxi and bus associations, the private sector, non-governmental organisations and the general public.

We have included, as an appendix to this statement, additional information on the programmes that are being implemented by our agencies: the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the Road Accident Fund (RAF), the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA), and the Cross Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA). The CEOs of these agencies, who are here with us, will respond to questions related to their specific initiatives.

APPENDIX

Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC)

The RTMC will ensure that no less than one million vehicles and drivers are stopped and checked every month. A minimum of 2500 drivers, per month, will be screened for alcohol consumption above the permissible limit. Drivers who are successfully convicted in a court of law will be subject to a re-test of learners and drivers licences.

In future planning processes, greater emphasis will be placed on travel patterns, road user behaviour as well as providing early warning messages to deal with inclement weather conditions.

Further technological innovations are under consideration to improve the effectiveness of speed cameras.

Road Accident Fund (RAF)

The Road Accident Fund is currently piloting its helmet awareness campaign targeting cyclists in Gauteng. Helmets and reflective jackets are handed out to cyclists at strategic locations where there is a large concentration of cyclists.

RAF also implements a nationwide scholar patrol initiative that target schools that are situated closer to busy roads and provides scholar patrol uniforms to leaners.

Another initiative has been introduced to distribute reflective arm belts to pedestrians. Reflective safety belts covers are also being distributed to motorists as a way to promote the safety of drivers and pedestrians.

RAF also arranges mass funerals involving four or more victims of road fatalities as part of the post-crash care.

Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA)

The Road Traffic Infringement Agency is involved in the following measures to improve road safety in the country:

Road users are educated about the Administrative Adjudication of Road Offences (AARTO) process, their obligations and rights, as well as the role of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency and other issuing authorities, through articles printed in various media platforms, leaflets and pamphlets

The proposed amendment to the legislative framework was published in the Government Gazette in February 2013 for public comment. Amongst others, the amendment seeks to address the following:

·  Administration of rehabilitation programmes for habitual infringers, including driver re-testing to determine driver fitness, compulsory community service at a state mortuary and road accident trauma wards in public hospitals;

·  Implementation of the points demerit system, as well as the threshold for the demerit points and the list of critical offences leading to demerit points;

·  Establishment of Traffic Rehabilitation Schools for habitual infringers, in order to change their dangerous behaviour to one of compliance to traffic laws; and

·  Development of the framework for the establishment of Infringements Appeals Tribunal to lessen congestion in the criminal justice system.

The Department of Transport and RTIA will host a consultative national summit on the implementation of AARTO in the coming months.

Cross Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA)

The Cross Border Road Transport Agency conducts roadside inspections on daily basis to ensure that all cross border transport carriers conduct their operations within the parameters of all the transport related laws.

The CBRTA will continue with the monthly joint operations with other law enforcement agencies in the country to promote road safety within the country and on major corridors towards the borders.

Road safety brochures will be distributed during major joint operations to empower road users to self-regulate through conducting pre-trip inspections, assessing vehicle fitness and to take frequent breaks during travel, i.e. every 200km‘s as a way of managing driver fatigue.

The CBRTA will continuously engage with other law enforcement agencies within the SADC region to ensure the harmonisation of enforcement standards and processes in line with the objectives and commitments as set out in the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology.

I thank you

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