The UN-backed Decade of Road Safety Action is just over a year old and the Automobile Association (AA) maintains South Africa has, to date, been sadly lacking in interventions to support the international campaign.

“The AA is outraged that there has been very little action from the Department of Transport or any of its agencies to support the Decade of Road Safety Action,” the 72-year-old motoring and consumer organisation’s public affairs manager, Gary Ronald, said.

“Just over a year ago, on May 11, it was launched with much fanfare by Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele. He dedicated his department and the nation to reducing road crashes by 50% over the next 10 years.”

The aim of the initiative is to reduce road crashes by 50% internationally over the next 10 years.

At the heart of the UN initiative are five pillars of action. They are building road safety management capacity; improving the safety of road infrastructure and broader transport networks; further developing vehicle safety; improving and enhancing road user behaviour; and bettering post-crash care.

“Since last May, there has not been any significant intervention to support these pillars of action. The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has continued its rolling enforcement plan, in effect before the campaign’s local launch.

“It is a disgrace that South Africa has yet to finalise and implement its own national road safety strategy and action plan for 2011-2020.

“RTMC was identified as the lead agency to promote road safety locally as long ago as 2010, but other than an old existing enforcement plan, no new safety interventions have been forthcoming.

“The ministry and its agencies are failing in their duty to reduce the carnage on our roads and at what cost?” Ronald said.

 

 

Source: http://www.thenewage.co.za