Speed not the only killer on our roads

Reducing the national speed limit is the latest attempt by the department of transport in collaboration with the Road Traffic Management Corporation to try and improve road safety on our bloody battlefields.

The proposal is to reduce the speed limit on highways from 120 to 100km/h and from 100 to 80km/h on main roads. Although the notion has been hailed in some quarters, not everyone is convinced that it will be a sure fire way of curbing the carnage on our roads.

Department of transport spokesperson Ayanda Allie-Paine was quoted saying last week that a review found that speed reduction in countries like Australia and Sweden was successful. Australia and Sweden? Those are first world countries in all honesty and I’m going to put my head on a block here and guess that corruption isn’t an issue on the side of the road there. When someone breaks the law on their roads, they will either be getting a hefty fine or jail time.

Over here, speeding motorists might bribe their way out of numerous speed traps only to carry on speeding.

In Australia for instance, people have the patience to queue in a supermarket line by way of a number system. Over here, motorists can’t even wait a delay caused by a faulty traffic light. Sooner rather than later a minibus taxi will start racing down the emergency lane which will be followed by numerous impatient commuters.

Then there are a car’s technical aspects that play a massive role during accidents. A modern, safety feature-laden car travelling at 140km/h might have less chance to kill occupants than an old car with outdated safety features travelling at 80km/h.

And the same principal applies to a car hitting a pedestrian. A decent car with good brakes travelling at 120km/h will in all probability have a better chance to stop in time for an unexpected pedestrian crossing the road than an old skedonk with shoddy brakes going at 80km/h.

And driving under the influence on the other hand is in all likelihood a much bigger threat to other motorists travelling at 80km/h than a sober driver going along at 120km/h.

And cars in bad shape and drunken drivers are two majors problems on our roads.

Another big problem is road rage of which a lot of cases are caused through pure frustration. Imagine how upset people with short fuses will become if they are stuck behind a car doing 100km/h on a highway.

Yes, speed kills. But there are various problems that might even be bigger killers.

South Africa simply isn’t Sweden or Australia.