Address at the Federation Internationale de I' Automobile (FIA) Conference by Mr Jeff Radebe, MP, Minister of Transport, Cape Town

Programme Director
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Robert Okello, Director of New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) and Regional Integration, United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Africa
David Njoroge, (AA Kenya) Member for Africa, Commission for Global Road Safety
EJ Kok, Managing Director, The Automobile Association of South Africa
Representatives from various organisations
Distinguished guests
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen

The work of the FIA foundation, Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) and the Automobile Association of South Africa (AASA) in the field of road safety is commendable. Road accidents and fatalities on the roads are a worldwide phenomenon but above all the poor bear the brunt of these road accidents.

Studies show that children of lower income families are more likely to be injured in road crashes compared to those from "well to do" families. Increased exposure contributes to this problem with poor families unable to afford to live away from busy roads. A practical assumption to make here is that while not all pedestrians are poor, the poor will be pedestrians.

The impact of road accidents on the poor should not only be measured by the casualty rate alone .The poor will be less likely to accommodate the impact of a road death or serious injury as there will be little savings available and repercussions on other family members can be expected, particularly with women bearing the burden of care.

The problem of road accidents, therefore, requires all role players to form partnerships in order to make a meaningful impact in the fight against the deaths on our roads. Partnerships with the private sector, governments and communities are critical in the war against the carnage on the roads. Low and middle income countries account for 80% of global deaths from road traffic crashes and this condemns the people in these countries to perpetual poverty.

Increased global economic activity and growth led to increased traffic on the roads. Road accidents are the second leading cause of deaths globally among young people aged five to 29 and the third leading cause of death for people aged 30 to 44 years. According to reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the highest rates of road traffic crashes occur among road users aged between the 0 to 25 year range in African and the Eastern Mediterranean regions.

More than 1,2 million people are killed every year and over 100 000 are injured on roads worldwide every day. Road accidents disable as many as 50 million more per annum globally and the economic impact is very severe in low and middle income countries.

In South Africa on average 700 000 accidents occur on our roads and more than 13 000 people are killed annually. These accidents and fatalities cost the economy R43 billion a year. The situation as described above is intolerable and cannot be allowed to continue.

It is against this background that road safety in our country is receiving high priority. The government of South Africa through many initiatives and projects is trying hard to improve the lot of the poor. Through the Department of Transport the road safety initiatives are meant to address poverty by making sure that the roads are safe and breadwinners do not perish on the roads and leave orphans who will be condemned to a life of poverty and misery.

The migration from the National Transport Information System (NATIS) to the Electronic National Transport Information System (eNaTIS) has advantages for motorists and road safety. One of the new functions that will be added to the eNaTIS will enable motorists to do transactions using the internet. It is also important to note that no information was lost during the migration from the old NaTIS to the new eNaTIS.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation Act of April 1999, provides for the establishment of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC). Recognising the importance of regulating public transport and road traffic in the interest of safety and quality of life of all South Africans, the RTMC was created to:

* enhance the overall quality of road traffic management and service provision
* strengthen the co-operation and co-ordination between the national, provincial and local spheres of government in the management of road traffic
* maximise the effectiveness of provincial and local government efforts particularly in road traffic law enforcement
* guide and sustain the expansion of private sector investment in road traffic management.

The reduction in traffic fatalities and accidents requires a zero tolerance approach to traffic offences. To have a meaningful impact such a law enforcement approach needs to be well co-ordinated, adequately resourced and visible to offending road users. We hope the RTMC will achieve this.

The establishment of this body also made it possible for the private sector to participate in law enforcement efforts. Recently we received a donation of more than 100 patrol vehicles from one of the most caring insurance companies in our country. We are very grateful of this gesture and hope that this is the beginning of things to come.

We are also in the process of implementing the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO), which will help to overcome the culture of "impunity" into violation of road rules and fine payment. This will also force people to change their behaviour on the road. AARTO brings with it parity of fines which will encourage the public to take fines seriously.

It also brings with it an improved fine collection and revenue system for the benefit of road safety improvement, as well as a more convenient way of paying fines and most importantly, penalties (disincentives) for not doing so and therefore leading eventually to among others confiscation of property.

The AARTO Act also introduces a National Contravention Register that will be linked to the new eNaTIS system. Repeat offenders will also be punished through a points demerit system which will lead to confiscation of driver's licences or a heavy financial penalty when re-licensing vehicles. The AARTO will also allow us to determine where problem areas are in terms of behaviour and will also allow us to deploy law enforcement officers in areas where they need to be, with full knowledge of offences.

The present system of fine collection is inadequate. Fines are either not paid or are substantially reduced by the courts. All notices will be issued by or on behalf of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA). All contraventions will be immediately recorded on a real time database that will enable us to identify repeat offenders.

Pedestrian safety

Pedestrian safety is also at the top of our priority programmes because half of the deaths that occur on South African roads are those of pedestrians. Challenges with regard to this state of affairs include the following:

* Many roads are not designed for pedestrian use, as they lack basic infrastructural features such as side-walks and pedestrian crossings.
* Alcohol abuse also has a bearing in pedestrian carnage. It has been found out recently that 70% of adult pedestrians who die on our roads are found to have consumed large amounts of alcohol.
* Lack of visibility of pedestrians is also a problem; prompting the Department to introduce measure such as the need to have retro-reflective material, especially on school uniforms and bags.

Seatbelts

The rate of wearing seatbelt in South Africa is alarmingly low, particularly among back seat passengers. Our National Road Traffic Act (1996) is very clear on this matter as it stipulates that all occupants of a vehicle should wear their seatbelts and children should be in child restraint equipment.

South Africa as a developing country is challenged by the unavailability of safe public transport and therefore allows for the conveyance of passengers in specially adapted goods vehicles in certain circumstances and conditions. In precise terminology the relevant regulation states that no person shall be conveyed in the goods compartment together with any tools or goods, except their personal effects, unless that portion in which such goods are being conveyed is separated by means of a partition from the portion in which such goods are being conveyed.

Appropriate investment in infrastructure development will go a long way in improving road safety. Cabinet approved the following strategies and plans to ensure a radical transformation of our transport infrastructure, systems and operations:

* Road Infrastructure Strategic Framework of South Africa
* Road Safety Strategy
* Public Transport Strategy and Plan
* Transport Action Plan for 2010
* Rail Plan.

In the next three to five years (as we implement the above strategies and plans) we will make the following investments into our transport system:

* R8,5 billion for Passenger Rail Infrastructure
* R8,2 billion for Public Transport Infrastructure excluding rail
* R5,5 billion for National Roads Infrastructure
* R19,2 billion for Airports Infrastructure
* R7 billion for Taxi Recapitalisation Programme
* R9,2 billion to support the preparation for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

The non-toll budget allocation for South African National Road Agency Limited (SANRAL) increased from R652 million to R2,2 billion in R2006/07, an increase of 137%.

The point we want to emphasise is that government is serious about the improvement of the transport environment for the purpose of, among others promoting road safety. We are convinced that the return on these investments will be favourable.

In conclusion, the Department of Transport is committed to all efforts done by bodies and institutions like yours to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on the roads. We support all global road safety initiatives as we are also very much affected by road deaths in this country.

I wish all of you fruitful discussions in this very important conference.

I thank you!

Issued by: Department of Transport
31 May 2007