The South African National
Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) is maintaining a prominent role in road
safety education and awareness as it engages motorists in various
municipalities across the Eastern Cape.
SANRAL hosted a road safety
awareness campaign on May 17, at the KwaNonesi Mall in Komani in the Enoch
Mgijima Local Municipality, where it targeted all road users, including
motorists, passengers, and pedestrians.
Michelle Ah Shene, SANRAL’s regional
marketing and communications coordinator said, “Road safety is a national
priority and SANRAL has a clearly defined role to provide both safe roads and
infrastructure, but our role does not end there. Road safety is a strategic
pillar that underpins our organisational strategy.”
“Our efforts are geared at
improving road user attitude and behaviour, as well as to engage communities in
road safety awareness.”
Under the banner ‘Road Safety
Starts with You’, SANRAL’s campaign emphasises personal responsibility on the
roads.
Messages such as “One look
before you cross or overtake”, “One rest can save your life” and “One call
can end it all” underscore the effort required to mitigate road risks and to
ensure safer journeys for all.
According to the World Health
Organisation (WHO) 92% of the world’s road fatalities occur in low- and
middle-income countries where more than half of all road traffic deaths are
among vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and
motorcyclists.
Speaking at a media dialogue on
the state of road safety in South Africa held on May 15, Minister of Transport,
Sindisiwe Chikunga, said research shows that Africa is the least motorised
continent containing 2% of the global vehicle population but contributes 16% of
the recorded global road fatalities.
“The top 20 hazardous roads in
South Africa are our national roads. It is the N1, N3, R61, and the Moloto
Road. All these roads are in a good condition. They are the best roads we have
in South Africa, probably on the continent and they compare well with the roads
that we have internationally, but that is where our accidents happen because of
the way people drive,” said Chikunga.
The R61 between Komani and
Cofimvaba is a road where road accidents occur frequently due to factors such
as, speeding, stray livestock, j-walking and reckless driving.
“We want to drive the message
home that safer roads are a collective responsibility for all road users to
play their part. We want to encourage safe behaviour among all road users,
whether drivers, pedestrians, and residents,” said Ah Shene.
A motorist from Komani, Nico
Morwane, said patience on the road is key to safe driving and could save South
Africa from the road carnage.
“You must be patient and always
be aware of other motorists. Drivers tend to be in a hurry all the time and
this affects their judgement. This results in serious crashes that could be
avoided. Thanks to SANRAL for reminding us how to behave on the roads,” said Morwane.
At the event, young people took
turns testing their driving skills on the racing simulators inside a tent.
While testing his driving
skills, Lisakhanya Stengile (15) said, “The simulator taught me that speeding
can be dangerous on both straight roads and on bends.
“Keeping to the speed limit will take you home
safely. As a pedestrian, the message I took from here is to be alert while
walking along the road because some of them don’t have pavements.”
SANRAL publications containing information about road
infrastructure projects, the tender process and transformation policy were
distributed to motorists and pedestrians alike to drive the safety message
home.
