Date: 26/04/2007

Source: Department of Transport

Title: Radebe: United Nations Global Road Safety Week

Address at the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week by Mr Jeff Radebe, MP, Minister of Transport, Tshwane University of Technology (Soshanguve Campus), Tshwane

Programme Director
Professor J Molefe, Deputy Vice Chancellor (TUT)
World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, Akban Etukudo
Ward Councillor, Ms MD Chauke
Ms Nomsa Khumalo, Pick 'n Pay
Representatives from business community
Distinguished guests
Teachers and students
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen

We are gathered here to mark the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week, which is being acknowledged worldwide. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) road safety initiative augurs well with the South African Road Safety Strategy 2006, which aim to stop the growing epidemic of deaths and injuries on our roads. Road crashes are the second leading cause of death globally among young people aged five to 29 and the third leading cause of death for people aged 30 to 44 years. According to the WHO, the highest rates of road traffic crashes occur among road users aged between 0 to 25 year range in the 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 everyday. Almost 400 000 young people under the age of 25 years are killed in road traffic crashes, about 1 049 youngsters everyday.

Road accidents disable as many as 50 million more per annum globally and the economic impact is significant in low and middle-income countries. The annual cost of road traffic crashes in the middle and low income is estimated at US$65 billion, more than the total annual amount received in development aid. Road traffic crashes and their consequences cost governments about 2% of their Gross National Product (GNP).

South Africa's commitment to the UN and the WHO's objectives on road safety are reflected on what we are doing this week to mark the Global Road Safety Awareness Week. To mark this initiative on road safety the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) will work on various programmes in various provinces. They include government communicators' defensive driving course, pedestrian awareness in schools, in the eastern, western, southern and central regions, road safety awareness involving provincial youth commission and parents, issuing of road safety promotional kits to all new drivers who pass their driving licence tests during the week and drunk driving, roadworthiness and driving licence awareness campaign.

South Africa will continue with its commitment it made to the ministerial round table at the African Road Safety Conference on 8 February this year held in Accra, Ghana in which Ministers made a declaration re-affirming the importance of the role of transport in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The South African government will continue to:
* recall UN resolution A/58/289, which endorsed the world report on road traffic injury prevention,
* recognising the importance and the role of global partners including the World Bank global road safety facility, UN road safety collaboration and global road safety partnership in advancing the global road safety agenda
* promote road safety as a health, transportation, law enforcement, education and development priority for the nation.

From the conference the RTMC accepted the challenge to raise awareness during the UN Global Road Safety Week by undertaking initiatives in collaboration with the provinces, metros, private sector, non-government organisations (NGOs) and global road safety partnership with South Africa. As part of our effective law enforcement we are also looking at introducing the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) which involves the electronic offence tracking systems, improved law enforcement concentrating on problem areas (roadworthiness) and the points demerit systems which includes loss of privileges and involves penalties. We should be implementing the AARTO by September this year.

Ladies and gentlemen, road safety in our country is receiving priority attention. I want to emphasise that the global road safety initiative is not a one-week programme but that road safety measures have been practised before and should continue on a daily basis.

The UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution on improving global road safety. In this resolution, the General Assembly reaffirms the importance of addressing the global road safety issues and invited the UN Regional Commissions and the WHO to organise jointly the first UN Global Road Safety Week.

The resolutions on safety are focused on young road users as they constitute a major group at risk of death, injury and disability on the road. During this week we will raise awareness about the societal impact and costs of road traffic injuries, highlight risks for young road users and promote action around key factors that include drinking and driving, speeding, non-wearing of seatbelts and helmets.

We are concerned that:
* road accidents costs our economy over R43 billion a year
* alcohol consumption at an early age is rife, which is a major factor in almost 50% of all road accidents involving pedestrians and drivers
* 97% of back seat and 40% of front seat passengers do not wear seatbelts
* 70% of fatalities are due to speed, which is too high for prevailing circumstances.

Alcohol is increasingly playing a role in the occurrence of road crashes. Adolescents often experiment with this substance under the peer pressure. It is necessary to deal with this matter and make them aware that they have right to say no. Alcohol affects the central nervous system and thus also the driver's reaction, it also has the following effects: clouds judgement, distorts vision, affects balance, impedes distance estimation and slows reaction time.

A substantial proportion of deaths and injuries can be attributed to speeding by drivers. Three principal clusters of fatal crashes include drivers losing control because they are driving too fast, lack of judgement of own path or pedestrian failing to give way to speeding motorist.

The seatbelt wearing rate in South Africa is alarmingly low and most passengers do not realise that the wearing of seatbelts in the rear of the vehicle is compulsory. Seatbelts wearing for drivers and all passengers should be second nature.

Airbags are designed to limit head, neck and chest injuries by creating a cushion between the occupant and the steering wheel and dashboard, windshield. Airbags only supplement safety belts, they do not replace them. When a vehicle travels at 60 km/h, it would take an average person two seconds to react. And when a vehicle crashes at 60 km/h, the impact is similar to fall from a three-storey building, while at 100 km/h the impact is equivalent to a fall from a 12-storey building.

Nearly half of pedestrians are killed at night when it is difficult for drivers to see them. A driver's visibility at night is limited to the reach of the vehicle's headlights, which is 45 metres on dim and 100 to 150 metres on bright. It is important to decrease speed at night. Pedestrians must be visible at night. A driver will only see a pedestrian wearing black or blue when he is 17 metres away.

Drivers must be extra vigilant in areas of high pedestrian activity, like schools, shopping centres and residential areas. The actions of pedestrians especially the young ones are unpredictable.

At traffic lights, walk quickly to also give motorists a chance to proceed. Under normal circumstances, both pedestrians and motorists share the 60 or fewer seconds allocated to a specific traffic light crossings.

Your briskness will contribute towards smooth flow of traffic and your slowness will create havoc and ultimately road rage. So walk to smoothen the flow of traffic. Dashing in front of bigger vehicles such as buses can be deadly. The same bus you are dashing in front of, to cross at unmarked areas, might be hiding a small vehicle which is passing at an unacceptable speed.

In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I must stress that the South African government is committed to implement the UN and the WHO resolution and commitment to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. We look forward to proceed with more improved measures and support on global road safety awareness during 2008. Our efforts to improve transport infrastructure and services to boost our economy will go a long way as we continue to work together with the UN and the WHO in this regard.

I thank you!

Issued by: Ministry of Transport
26 April 2007