Road users 'more responsible'

2003-12-22 16:02

Cape Town - Steps taken by the authorities to improve safety on South Africa's roads over the festive season appear to be successful so far, Transport Minister Dullah Omar said on Monday.

Omar congratulated provincial transport MECs for their ongoing visible law enforcement and responsible road users for their commitment to following the rules of the road.

Initial analysis of road accident trends and the number of accidents until December 21, clearly showed the deployment of more visible traffic officers in hazardous areas and the zero tolerance approach adopted by all provinces was bearing fruit, he said in a statement.

"Our analysis of accidents until December 21, 2003 is showing that we have a possible decrease in road accidents.

"This is directly linked to proper planning, integrated law enforcement operations and the high level of visible policing by provinces and other law enforcement agencies," he said.

Responsible road users

It appeared that more and more road users were joining the family of responsible road users.

From analysis of the types of accidents it was clear road users were beginning to take responsibility for their own safety.

"Our National Traffic Call Centre is registering many calls from road users who want to report violations, which is a demonstration of the commitment of road users to build a people's contract for safe roads.

"We are also seeing a decrease in accidents that are caused by bad driver behaviour like not stopping at stop streets and traffic signals, turning in front of oncoming vehicles, and unsafe and illegal overtaking that leads to head on collisions," Omar said.

He called on all road users to continue to follow the rules of the road, to plan their trips properly in advance and be patient on the road.

He also appealed to owners of public passenger transport vehicles, such as taxis and buses, to ensure their vehicles were roadworthy before embarking on long journeys loaded with passengers.

- SAPA