Make our roads safe ‒ Minister
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has called on road users, especially public transport operators, to make road safety a priority.
The minister’s comments follow a fatal bus accident along the N1 at Touwsriver in the Western Cape in the early hours of Sunday.
“I urge the management of DMJ Bus Services to co-operate with the investigations to ensure a speedy conclusion of the preliminary report of the incident,” said Peters on Monday.
Peters recently called on bus operators to ensure that their buses are roadworthy and that bus drivers take body rests.
The accident comes as the department and its state owned companies marks Transport Month, when they showcase progress in the modernisation of public transport infrastructure, in rail, road, aviation as well as maritime transportation and progress in the implementation of the 365 Road Safety Strategy.
“Road safety must always be at the top of our priorities. Drivers should always consider the threats and possible worst case scenarios – and plan to avoid as many of these as possible,” said the minister.
Road safety requires commitment and dedication from everyone, she said, to ensure that these unnecessary deaths on the roads are drastically reduced.
“Our road safety analysis brings to the fore a very painful reality of the role played by unroadworthy vehicles. Key to the vehicle factors that contributed to the crashes are tyre bursts, faulty brakes and smooth tyres.
“As South Africa, in line with the United Nations Decade of Action for road safety, we owe it to our country and the continent to achieve the Decade of Action’s goal of reducing road fatalities by half by year 2020.”
Peters said the department is in the final stages of completing the National Road Safety Strategy, which clearly articulates the road safety plan.
She said as a department, they have engaged in this struggle together with many stakeholders including faith based organisations, road freight associations, the taxi industry, bus operators, artists and others to inculcate a culture of road safety awareness.
– SAnews.gov.za