CAPE TOWN, 27 FEBRUARY 2001
IT IS WITH GREAT HONOUR FOR ME TO DRAW THE BE SIGN WISE - KNOW YOUR ROAD SIGNS COMPETITION. AS YOU WILL ALL RECALL, WE LAUNCHED THE NEW ROAD TRAFFIC SIGNS MANUAL ON 09 JANUARY THIS YEAR. AT THAT LAUNCH WE ANNOUNCED THAT A COMPETITION IN THE RAPPORT, THE STAR AND CITY PRESS NEWSPAPERS WOULD BE ORGANISED. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THE COMPETITION WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED. WHETHER YOUR ENTRY WILL BE DRAW TODAY OR NOT ALL THE PARTICIPANTS ARE WINNERS.
THE BE SIGN WISE COMPETITION WAS AN ATTEMPT TO EXPOSE OUR ROAD USERS TO NEW ROAD SIGNS AND TO INCREASE AWARENESS ON ROAD TRAFFIC SIGNS BECAUSE THEY WERE LAST PROMOTED IN SOUTH AFRICA ABOUT 7 YEARS AGO. THE NEW ROAD TRAFFIC SIGN SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDE SIGNS, SIGNALS AND MARKINGS, IS TO BE PROMOTED AS PART OF THE ARRIVE ALIVE ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN. WE ARE DOING THIS BECAUSE AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, WE MADE A COMMITMENT TO RUN OUR ARRIVE ALIVE CAMPAIGN AS WHOLE YEAR, 24-HOUR, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN.
LET ME SHARE WITH YOU SOME ROAD SAFETY ASPECTS THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED FOR THIS YEAR. MAY I INDICATE THAT I WILL BE TAKING MOST OF THESE ISSUES TO CABINET SHORTLY FOR APPROVAL.
THE FIRST IS RESTRUCTURING THE INSPECTORATE FOR DRIVER LICENCE TESTING CENTRES AND VEHICLE TESTING STATIONS TO ENSURE ADEQUATE STAFFING RESOURCES, TECHNICAL AND FORENSIC SKILLS AND THE REQUIRED LEGAL POWERS TO ACT DECISIVELY AGAINST MALPRACTICE.
A PROGRAMME FOR RAPID UPGRADING OF NON-COMPLIANT DRIVER LICENCE TESTING CENTRES AND VEHICLE TESTING STATIONS HAS ALREADY BEGUN, AND THIS WILL INCREASINGLY BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ALL-OUT WAR ON FRAUD AND CORRUPTION.
AT THE FRONT END OF THE LICENSING PROCESS, TWO MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS ARE IN THE PIPELINE TO ENSURE THAT WE WIN THIS WAR:
FIRSTLY - DRIVING SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MEET STRICT FORMAL CRITERIA FOR ACCREDITATION, AND BOTH DRIVING SCHOOLS AND INSTRUCTORS WILL HAVE TO MEET CLEARLY SPECIFIED STANDARDS FOR THEIR RE-REGISTRATION EVERY TWO YEARS, UNDER A STRINGENT NATIONAL INSPECTION REGIME. DRIVING SCHOOLS AND INSTRUCTORS WILL BE COMPELLED TO IMPLEMENT THE NEW ROAD TRAFFIC SIGN SYSTEM.
SECONDLY - WE WILL BE PILOTING A COMPUTERISED LEARNERS LICENCE TESTING SYSTEM. THIS WILL LARGELY AUTOMATE THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE LEARNERS TEST, MINIMISING SCOPE FOR FRAUDULENT HUMAN INTERVENTION IN THE PROCESS, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME MAKING THE TEST MORE USER-FRIENDLY FOR DISADVANTAGED APPLICANTS THROUGH THE USE OF TOUCH-SCREEN AND AUDIO-VISUAL TECHNOLOGY.
WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT REVISING THE K-53 DRIVING TEST ITSELF, TO ENSURE THAT IT IS AS ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE TO ALL APPLICANTS AND THAT IT IS TESTING THE RIGHT ROAD-USER AND DRIVER SKILLS IN THE RIGHT WAYS. ALSO IN THIS REGARD, WE WILL ENSURE THAT THE NEW ROAD TRAFFIC SIGN SYSTEM IS IMPLEMENTED.
THE FINAL ISSUE IS ENSURING THAT WE REMOVE UNFIT AND UNSAFE VEHICLE FROM OUR ROADS, THROUGH A COMBINATION OF ENFORCEMENT, REGULATION AND THE COMPULSORY INTRODUCTION OF PROVEN VEHICLE SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE KEY PROJECTS WE WANT TO INTRODUCE FOR OUR ROAD TO SAFETY. IT NOW GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO ANNOUNCE THE PRIZES TO BE DRAWN THIS MORNING.
THESE ARE;
THANKS TO ALL OUR SPONSORS FOR YOUR SUPPORT.