Road accidents cost SA R306bn a year

Dipuo Peters - Image GCIS

This cost included the loss of manpower and skills‚ emergency medical services‚ post-crash services such as road repairs and clean-up operations‚ and the compensation paid out by the Road Accident Fund (RAF).

The minister said during a media briefing in Parliament on the Department of Transport's road safety initiatives that the RAF alone paid out about R15bn to victims of road accidents each year. Of this‚ R1bn was for continued medical support for the injured.

"It is time we begin to thoroughly assess and fully comprehend the cost of crashes to the economy and society in general‚" Peters said. Her first month in office as minister of transport had confronted her with the devastating reality of road carnage.

The minister recommitted the government to reducing road fatalities by half before 2020 but stressed that to achieve this there would have to be tougher law enforcement as more than 90% of road crashes resulted from non-compliance with traffic regulations. More visible policing was needed‚ the minister said.

More law enforcement needed

Peters acknowledged that there were not sufficient law-enforcement officers on SA's roads and said her ministry was conducting intergovernmental discussions about this. There are about 18‚000 traffic officers in SA and that is an insufficient number to monitor the 10m vehicles on SA's roads.

"The department believes that part of the remedial action for law-enforcement authorities should be to increase traffic personnel to address glaring challenges such as dangerous overtaking, which is a major cause of fatal head-on collisions‚" the minister said. "We believe that with additional capacity on our roads‚ we will be able to better tackle the challenge confronting us."

Peters announced that she had established an intergovernmental team of experts to investigate "pragmatic and sustainable" interventions aimed at curbing the high incidence of road accidents. A raft of legislative amendments are in the pipeline to tighten enforcement

The team would comprise senior officials from the Department of Transport‚ Road Traffic Management Corporation‚ Road Traffic Infringement Agency‚ the South African National Road Agency and the RAF. They would work closely with law-enforcement authorities in provinces and municipalities.

Legislation being reviewed

The task team would review existing legislation‚ challenges in road infrastructure and educational campaigns and would also look at the creation of a data bank to assist with forward planning and budgeting. It would report to Peters monthly.

Amendments to the National Road Traffic Act are already in the pipeline. These include the introduction of a two-year probation period for first-time applicants for driver licences and the reduction of the legal alcohol limit to 0‚02% from the current 0‚05% for drivers of normal vehicles and 0‚00% for professional drivers.

This proposal has been released for public comment and will be submitted to cabinet once this process is finalised.

Other proposed amendments provisional driving licences‚ periodic vehicle testing and inspections of vehicle testing stations.

"We need laws that bite and assist behavioural change. Behaviour that is inconsistent with the law must attract the necessary penalties‚" Peters said.

"We are steaming ahead with our operations to rid out testing stations of corrupt practices. Since the establishment of a team to look into this challenge two years ago‚ several people have been arrested and disciplinary processes undertaken," she said.

Peters strongly condemned the practice of traffic officers accepting bribes to let off transgressors.

Departmental officials confirmed that the Road Traffic Management Corporation was "here to stay" and that its governance would be strengthened. There have been suggestions that the corporation - which has been plagued by poor management - will be closed down.