TRAFFIC authorities have promised a crackdown to reduce the carnage on the country’s roads.
This follows the deaths of 141 people in 110 road accidents around the country at the weekend.
The highest number of deaths was recorded in the Eastern Cape where 53 people were confirmed to have died in road accidents at the weekend.
Two crashes‚ one in Willowvale with 36 fatalities and another involving a minibus taxi that crashed near Cradock with nine fatalities‚ accounted for the majority of the deaths.
Crash investigators from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) were sent to the Eastern Cape at the weekend to determine the causes of the two accidents. A preliminary report from the investigators is expected this week‚ the RTMC said on Monday.
Gauteng recorded the second-highest number of road fatalities at the weekend with 21 people confirmed to have died in 29 crashes. KwaZulu-Natal recorded 17 deaths in 18 crashes and Limpopo recorded 13 deaths in 12 collisions.
The province with the least number of road deaths was the Northern Cape where five deaths were recorded in five collisions‚ followed by the Free State (six deaths in six collisions)‚ Mpumalanga (eight deaths in 10 collisions)‚ North West (nine deaths in eight accidents) and the Western Cape (nine deaths in nine collisions).
The RTMC is to work with provincial traffic authorities to intensify law enforcement on the roads‚ including the introduction of a 24-hour shift for traffic officers.
According to the RTMC, the shareholder committee‚ comprising the national minister of transport‚ MECs from all provinces and the South African Local Government Association‚ last week granted the RTMC the authority to harmonise law-enforcement throughout the country and work towards the introduction of a 24-hour, seven-day-week shift system.
RTMC CEO Makhosini Msibi said this would contribute to “increased police visibility and ensure greater impact on the prevention of traffic offences and a reduction in traffic fatalities”.
“Harmonisation will streamline the delivery of essential road traffic and law-enforcement services and ensure co-ordination and collaboration in the implementation of agreed national uniform standards‚” said Mr Msibi.
Anti-corruption operations will also be intensified to deal decisively with driving schools that connive with licensing officers to issue drivers’ licences to undeserving candidates. These operations will also focus on the fraudulent issuance of roadworthy certificates to public transport and freight operators.
Traffic officers will receive further training and development.
Mr Msibi said the additional training would improve officers’ skills with regard to: enforcing overload control; cracking down on the transport of dangerous goods; and examining vehicles and licences. Their training would include high speed pursuit and interception.
He warned motorists the RTMC was consulting the Department of Justice to tighten the law on drunk driving. The proposal under discussion involved the reclassification of drunk driving from a Schedule 3 to a Schedule 5 offence and the introduction of minimum sentences.
“Road safety is not negotiable. It is everyone’s responsibility to behave appropriately on the roads and where they fail there must be consequences‚” Mr Msibi said.
The 365-day road safety plan would also be implemented with vigour in all provinces to empower passengers and pedestrians‚ he said.
RDM News Wire
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Article source: http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/2015/08/31/crackdown-promised-to-reduce-carnage-on-roads