Carnage on
South African Roads, the high fatality rate in accident's – time to seriously
stop talking and put in place measures that can stop this.
Carnage on South African Roads, the high fatality rate in accident’s – time to seriously stop talking and put in place measures that can stop this.
This festive season in South Africa has seen an unprecedented carnage on our roads, multiple car, truck, and minibus accidents, followed by an exceedingly high number of uncalled deaths by road users and pedestrians.
After years in the South African Insurance Industry, this December of 2021 stood out as one of the worst.
My opinion of the road carnage, firstly starts with road behaviour, including drinking and driving – various newspapers reported on this, and to see someone with a beer in the hand driving is no exception – a high percentage of accidents and deaths can be related to drinking and driving, road rage, total ignorance of fellow drivers, condition of roads, especially holes, not potholes anymore in some of our roads.
The whole attitude of ignorance of the law of the road is of critical concern.
All the above is in the hands of our regulators and traffic police, however in instances soft policing is taking place.
Our Road structure is taking strain, and according to an article by Fleet watch we have, 2.9 million vehicles on the road in Gauteng alone, and another 1.5 million in other provinces as the statistics I have not updated, and it will be more in 2021. From these vehicles, nearly 450 000 is Heavy Trucks carrying loads.
Taxis, the number I have not reflected separately, drivers, driving on commission around the clock causing fatigued drivers driving into the rear of a truck, with all passengers killed, including the driver.
The loss of life to the economy and the burden on families is enormous, not even to take into account the fact that it is a well known statistic that roughly 60 % of vehicles on the road has no insurance cover, not only Third Party Insurance on its own which I believe should become mandatory, as many times a person losing his vehicle in an accident has no claim against the wrongdoer, as it might be a man of straw. In some of our bordering countries, Third Party Cover is mandatory.
I suggest we stop putting statistics together and act collectively, and I mean all stakeholders, finding and implementing a solution – this must stop.