Despite a slight reduction in deaths on the country’s roads this past festive season, the South African Road Federation (SARF) says that South Africa still has the second highest road accident fatality rate per 100 000 population in Africa.

With 1 118 fatal crashes and 1 368 fatalities recorded, the 2014/2015 Festive Season Road Accident Statistics, indicated a slight reduction of 2.5% for fatal crashes and 0.6% for fatalities.

“The Transport Minister rightly pointed out that this is no cause for celebration,” says Mr Innocent Jumo, President of the South African Road Federation (SARF), responding to the Festive Season Stats, which were released by Minister of Transport, Ms Dipuo Peters on 9 January 2015. “We agree with the Minister that urgent action must be taken to put an end to this unnecessary and avoidable carnage,” he says.

 

Mr Jumo says that SARF is in agreement with the Minister’s view that decisive and uncompromising action must be taken against lawlessness and irresponsible road usage. “However, we feel that in line with the Minister’s comments that the scale of resources for road safety should be given the same attention as other priorities, precedence must also be given to safe road infrastructure. This includes adequate and ongoing road maintenance and the sufficient upgrading of roadside safety barriers, bridge railings and road signs,” he says.

He emphasised the need to also focus resources on the establishment of a funded programme to improve road safety infrastructure in line with the safe-systems approach, as well as the institutionalisation of the Road Safety Auditing process on all road construction projects.