Programme Director

Representatives of the Global Road Safety Partnership of SA (GRSP)

World-wide Office Bearers of GRSP

Distinguished Country Delegates of GRSP

Stake-Holders from Private Sector Partners

Representatives from All Institutions (Government and NGOs)

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a great honour for us in South Africa to host this conference during this month of August which is set aside to celebrate the women of this country. We honour the women who marched on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in protest against pass laws on the 9^th of August 1956.

This year also marks the 60th anniversary of The Women’s Charter and our 20^th year of freedom.  The African National Congress, the ruling party committed itself to move South Africa forward towards a non – racial, non-sexist and prosperous country. Public transport is featuring prominently in the modern economic trajectory of the fifth administration and it is indeed our responsibility to ensure that it is safe. 

In that brave protest act of 9 August 1956, the women of this country led by Mme Lillian Ngoyi and Helen Joseph among others, declared that they will not rest until all pass laws and all forms of permits restricting the freedom of African women have been abolished and that they will not rest until they have won for their children their fundamental rights of freedom, justice and security. 

These women made history and we will forever honour their bravery for standing together against the apartheid laws to fight for the freedom that we today enjoy. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

In having flagged the historic role of our mothers and sisters in the freedom struggle, let me assure you today, that all our efforts in improving road safety for our children, shall be met with the desired results with maximum participation of our womenfolk and by entrusting them with the custodianship of our  road safety initiatives.

It is indeed encouraging to note that one of your distinguished speakers from Algeria shall be putting emphasis on the role of women in enhancing child road safety through an e-state; the utilisation of all platforms of the information age such as social media in creating a road safety paradigm. We shall also later be highlighting the efforts undertaken in the implementation of ICT Technologies for Safer Roads by South Africa.

We also gathered here in acknowledgement that the mechanisms ensuring child road safety calls for a holistic approach hence the partnerships we are witnessing today.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to report on efforts undertaken and highlight the strides that we have made as a country from a policy perspective and also through campaigns:

• The Department of Transport (DoT) and that of Basic Education are about to finalise The Scholar Transport Policy that will be forwarded to Cabinet for approval before it is taken to Parliament. This Policy seeks to address safety, accessibility by learners and law enforcement;
• The Road Traffic Management Corporation  (RTMC) which was established by the RTMC Act of 1999, has since its inception implemented numerous road safety programmes at school level in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education such as; Road Safety Education in Life Orientation as a subject, Scholar Patrol, Road Safety Schools Debates, and Junior Traffic Training Centres;
• As part of the Scholar Road Safety Initiatives, many provinces have continued to issue bicycles with head-gear (helmets) to learners as a measure of keeping them safe on our roads. The DoT has also spearheaded many of such an initiative. More than 95 000 bicycles have been distributed since 2006 and we will issue an additional 21 000 in the next three years; and
• The Department of Transport (DoT) strongly supports and encourages all motorists to take responsibility for the young ones by using child restraints  at all times in their vehicles when driving in their company.

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

As a country, we freely acknowledge that central to making our roads safer for our kids is the exchange of policy perspectives and initiatives hence we whole heartedly embrace this Conference. We will draw from your collective wise counsel great ideas in harnessing efforts towards ensuring the safety of children on our roads. 

Let me also draw your attention to the broader developments in respect of road safety in South Africa.

Records indicate that the first road crash in South Africa took place on 01 October 1903 in Maitland Cape Town.  According to the statistics, since this crash in 1903 to the end of 2013, some 543,000 people have been killed in crashes on South African roads.  The rate of road traffic fatalities has reached an unacceptably high level.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In South Africa, the right to and protection of life of our people is enshrined in the Constitution of South Africa.  The need for safe and reliable transport infrastructure and services is fully captured in ANC transport policies. These policies found expression in the 1996 White Paper on National Transport. The 2012 National Development Plan (Vision 2030) – the blueprint for the South Africa we want also make provision for an efficient, reliable, safe and affordable public transport and infrastructure. 

Guided at a policy level by the National Land Transport Act, the National Road Traffic Act of 1996, the Millennium Development Goals and the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, we have developed a multifaceted approach to regulate the use of and decongest our roads, and ultimately reduce the fatalities on our roads.

 

RTMC

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has implemented several traffic law enforcement programmes, such as:

Overloading control,

Speed management,

Control of alcohol and drug impaired drivers,

Safety aspects of vehicles, and

Verification of drivers documents.

 

Some of the key achievements of the RTMC, in the fight against road crashes, include; the hosting of the Road Safety Conference, the establishment of the National Traffic Police, the establishment of the National Traffic Anti-Corruption unit and inspecting more than 35 million vehicles from 2011 to 2013.  In alignment with the United Nations Decade of Action, the RTMC will continue to implement the 365-day Road Safety Program. Over the past two financial years, the RTMC has spent approximately R800 million to promote road safety.

 

RAF

The Road Accident Fund derives its mandate from Section 3 of the Road Accident Fund Act of 1996.  It is primarily responsible for compensation against loss or damage caused by motor vehicles-related accidents.  In effect, the RAF fulfils the 5^th pillar of the UN Declaration of Action, that is, post-crash rehabilitation.

During the financial year 12/13 and 13/14, the RAF assisted 26,000 victims of accidents with general damages, 13,000 for the loss of income, 127, 000 people for medical care costs and finally contributed financially to 6,300 funerals. The RAF expenditure for the last two financial years amounted to around R55 billion, in post-crash care and rehabilitation.

 

RTIA

The institutionalisation of the Road Traffic infringement Agency (RTIA) Board is provided for in the Administration Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act of 1998.  The primary aim of the establishment of RTIA is to give effect to the AARTO Act and hence assist in the reduction of indiscriminate loss of lives on our roads. 

 

The main areas of responsibility of the RTIA are to:

• Ensure that drivers and operators guilty of infringements are penalised;
• Promote compliance with national, provincial laws and municipal by-laws;
• Administer adjudication of traffic offences; and
• Develop a framework for a Traffic Rehabilitation School so as to correct behaviour of habitual road offenders including drunk drivers.

 

DEPARTMENT STRATEGIES

Over and above the institutions established to enforce road safety, the Department of Transport has developed several strategies to arrest the carnage on our roads.

 

RAIL

Ladies and gentlemen, the NDP Diagnostic report states that: “The commuter rail fleet needs to be renewed.  It provides the lowest cost service in metropolitan areas and is safer than cars.  However, the rail service lacks reliability, punctuality and comfort.”

 

In order to improve on punctuality, reliability and comfort, PRASA, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, will invest around R53 billion on rail infrastructure and new rolling stock over the next ten years.

 

Such investment seeks to shift the pattern of travelling from road to rail, thus decongesting our roads and lowering the rate of road accidents.  The Gautrain is an example of how the Department of Transport intervened, to shift the pattern of travelling from road to rail, and thus alleviate road traffic.  The Gautrain is undoubtedly a success story. Its current usage stands at 55 000 users on a daily basis.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Road safety cannot be realised without addressing the infamous Moloto Road.  Approximately 38 000 commuters ferried in 536 buses travel along the Moloto Road, or R573, daily. 

To reduce the fatalities on this road, an integrated rapid rail solution will be implemented by PRASA. Furthermore, SANRAL will ensure that the road quality is upgraded for maximum safety.

 

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

The National Household Transport Survey 2013 indicates that the percentage of car ownership has risen from 22.9% in 2003 to 32.6% in 2013. This increase has a direct impact on traffic congestion and presents a higher risk for road crashes.  To reduce congestion on our roads, the Department of Transport has developed an Integrated Public Transport Network System, which comprises of the Bus Rapid Transit system currently being deployed in the metropolitan cities.  Since its inception in 2005/06, some R25 billion has been spent on integrated public transport infrastructure and fleet in 12 cities across South Africa.  The Re a Vaya system in Johannesburg carries about 36 000 passengers, whilst Cape Town’s My City transports about 53 000 passengers.

The ultimate aim of our integrated public transport system is to lessen vehicle density on our roads and thus, reduce the probability of road crashes.

The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) indicates that 69 % of commuters prefer to use Taxi as the most convenient mode of transport. It is therefore important that as government we contribute to making taxi vehicles more road worthy. The DoT embarked on a capital intensive project to scrap old taxi vehicles and remove them from our roads.

This project, known as the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme, aims at ensuring that our people travel safely in taxis that meet the required road worthy standards. Since 2006, 58 477 old taxis have been scrapped and                         R 3.2bn scrapping allowance have been paid to taxi operators.

 

Road infrastructure maintenance and upgrade

As stated in the NDP:” to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth by 2030, SA needs to invest in a strong network of infrastructure.”  The NDP further explains that: “in effect, SA has missed a generation of capital investment in roads, rail, ports, electricity, water sanitation, public transport and housing.”

 

In this context, to achieve a road network that is of high quality standards and safe for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, over the next three years, we will invest over R9,6 billion to:

• Rehabilitate 1100 km of roads and reseal 3000 km of roads

• Re-gravel 3 150 km of roads and,

• Patch some 810,000 square metres of pot-holes, as part of Operation Tselantle that was launched in July 2014.

 

As a result, our communities will have safe access to schools, clinics, economic opportunities, sports and recreational centres, social and religious amenities.  Regarding safety of pedestrians, from 2010 to date, several projects have been undertaken.  For example;

• In 2010, SANRAL built a pedestrian bridge and footpath along the N2, North of Umhlanga to protect some 500 pedestrians, at a cost of R41 million.
• In May 2012, the Tshelimnyama N3 Marianhill Bridge was completed to improve safe passage of pedestrians and motorists, at a cost of R59 million.
• The N11 Ladysmith Model Kloof Bridge was completed in December 2012.  This bridge connects a school on one side of the N11 to the community located on the other side.  The construction included a     4 km sidewalk and the total cost was R42 million.
• The Thabong (N5) pedestrian bridges, including sidewalk is estimated at R73 million and is expected to be completed around mid-2015.
• In the Eastern Cape, SANRAL plans to build a number of bridges, overpass, interchanges and other structures at a total cost of R59 million in order to facilitate the safe movement of pedestrians and motorists across national roads.

 

The Premier of the Free State Honourable Ace Magashule submitted a list of more than 27 bridges in the Free State that he request the National Department through SANRAL to take over for building operate and maintain.

 

The Limpopo, North West and Eastern Cape provinces also submitted more than 3500 km of roads to be included into the national network.

 

 

 

ICT technology for safer roads

 

Ladies and gentlemen, the introduction of mobile applications and related ICT technologies to enable safer mobility has become a necessity and a reality in South Africa.  For instance, SANRAL, has deployed the Freeway Management System (FMS) in three metros.  This System enables the monitoring and communication of real-time traffic condition.  It allows for the early detection of road incidents and subsequent deployment of emergency services.  It empowers drivers to anticipate road incidents and avoid congestion.

 

The hourly traffic update by SAFM radio is also playing an important role in reducing traffic congestion and hence promoting safety of drivers.

 

Regarding the integrity of statistics on road related accidents, a team consisting of representatives from the DoT, RTMC, CSIR, STATS SA, SAPS and Department of Health, has been established to develop a comprehensive database on road injuries and fatalities.  The information from the database will enable us to understand and address the trend in road fatalities and injuries.

 

Our commitments to reduce road crashes can be summed up as follows;

• R 580 million for administration and enforcement of road traffic legislation, to the RTIA over the period 2014/15 to 2016/17
• R51 billion for commuter rail infrastructure improvements and new rolling stock, over the MTEF period, so as to shift passengers from road to rail.
• R14 billion for bus subsidies in 2014/15, in order to shift pattern of travel from private cars to public transport, and alleviate congestion on our roads.
• R 9.3 billion over 2014/15 and R 9.9 billion over 2015/16 for road infrastructure upgrade that would ensure better quality and thus safer roads

 

Over the period 01 June 2013 to 30 June 2014, our road safety enforcement operations have yielded the following:

• 1.3 million vehicles were verified for compliance against safety rules;
• 3.9 million notices of road traffic offences were issued;
• 42,116 arrests of road traffic offenders;
• 38,626 vehicles  were removed off roads due to unworthiness;
• 28,767 vehicles were impounded;

 

Distinguished guests, please do allow me to sketch the global scenario on road safety and its haunting spectra on the youth of today. The 2010 World Health Organization Global Report on Road Safety indicates that every year around 1.3 million people are killed and another 50 million are injured on roads worldwide. A similar report released in 2013 shows that there has been no significant improvement in road safety. The figures for road crashes stand at 1.24 million in 2013 compared to 1.3 million in 2010.

 

The 2013 report points out that globally, injuries sustained in road traffic crashes remain the leading cause of death for young people aged between 15 and 29 years old.   The report further indicates that for every road traffic fatality at least 20 people sustain non-fatal injuries, resulting in an increase burden to the health care system.

 

A remarkable observation is the large disparities in road traffic death rates between regions.  The risk of dying as a result of a road crashes is highest in the African region (which is 24.1 deaths per 100,000 population) and the lowest in the European region (which is 10.3 deaths per 100,000 population). According to the WHO, 92% of the world’s road traffic deaths in 2010 occurred in 87 lower income countries.

 

In contrast, the rate of road traffic death, amongst high-income countries, has decreased significantly, according to the International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group (IRTAD). Needless to say, that these high-income countries are in the European and American regions.

 

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

The improvements achieved by high income countries, in road safety did not materialise overnight.  It took a period of four decades, between 1970 and 2011, for the number of road deaths per 100,000 people, to fall from 35.8 to 6.9 in Slovenia, from 34.5 to 6.2 in Austria and from 26.6 to 4.1 in Switzerland, to name but a few.  The improvements are attributed to a number of strategies, legislations and campaigns on road safety. 

 

Above all, the contrast in road traffic fatalities between high-income and low income countries arises from an acute shortage of resources in the poorer countries. 

 

As a matter of fact, the PIDA (Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa) highlights that US$25.4 billion is required to address the transport infrastructure backlog of Africa.  As a result of the backlog, the road access rate in Africa is only 34%, compared to 50% in other parts of the developing world.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

In order to curb the fatalities and injuries due to road crashes, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that proclaimed a Decade of Action for Road Safety.  The goal of the Decade of Action (2011-2020) is to stabilize and reduce the increasing trend in road traffic fatalities so as to save an estimated 5 million lives over the decade.  The Resolution calls upon member states to implement road safety activities in the area of road safety management, road infrastructure, vehicle safety, road user behaviour, road safety education and post-crash responses.

I am proud the South African NGO sector, FBO, Road Safety Ambassadors and Activists have gone beyond the core of duty to support the initiatives of government to do public education and awareness about road safety. Some volunteers spend sleepless nights in the cold and rains to save lives of fellow men and women.

The Ministry of Transport and government broadly appreciate your contribution, efforts and resources deployed to alert us to areas of blind spots or inadequacies in regulations, policy or laws.

Through your efforts and in working together as South Africans, we can truly move South Africa forward and stem the tide of road carnages.   

In conclusion ladies and gentlemen,

I wish to thank you for your steadfast activism. It is indeed in redoubling our efforts as humankind that we can survive in arresting the spectra of unwanted unnatural deaths and fatalities on our roads. Do continue to leave your own footprints as custodians of road safety around the world.

 

 Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the South African government, we present our unending gratitude, for affording us the opportunity to engage into a meaningful discussion on this fundamental topic of road safety. 

 

I look forward to the successful outcome and resolution of this conference. We are tired of counting dead bodies. Help South Africa, SADC and the continent of Africa to stop Road Deaths.

 

Thank you.