Tough talk on road carnage

Fresh ideas floated for traffic control

DRONES, body cameras and 24/7 police visibility are some of the strategies to combat the country’s road carnage which emerged from the National RTMC ( Road Traffic Management Corporation) Conference held at the International Convention Centre in Durban this week.

The conference closed yesterday with the draft declaration promising to address “rampant bribery and corruption”, and noting “with alarm unacceptably high levels of drunk driving and associated fatalities and injuries”, as well as reckless driving, unroadworthy vehicles and a need for enhanced cross-border law enforcement.

KZN MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Thomas Kaunda, urged traffic authorities to “send a strong message that our roads are under constant surveillance and there is zero-tolerance for reckless and negligent behaviour.

“Our law enforcement operations must be tough so that offenders immediately feel the consequences of their actions,” he said.

The resolutions included, among others:

Body cameras to be worn by traffic police, which would record any incidents, including bribery attempts;

Implement 24/7 visible policing;

The use of technological advances such as drones;

Implement special traffic courts, including the possibility of traffic courts at tollgates;

Improve cross-border management, including tracking of multiple offenders;

Review licence issuing, driving school regulations and vehicle examiners to address fake licences;

Initiate a dedicated hotline to report drunk driving;

Roll out comprehensive patrols in marked and unmarked vehicles, helicopters and bicycles; Assess roads’ safety; Review salaries to increase morale and reduce corruption; and

Improve training to change perception of traffic officers.

Speaking on possible new technologies, Kaunda said: “The traffic fraternity has embraced drones as tools for law enforcement. This aerial law enforcement innovation will fit in perfectly with CCTV, the average speed over distance and other advances to close down the space for lawlessness on our roads.

“Another technical innovation I think the country must consider is the body-worn video camera for law enforcement officers to help in fighting corruption and improve the handling of evidence for successful prosecution.”

He also addressed officers on the need to be visible, saying a traffic offence survey published this year indicated speeding was the traffic offence with the highest infringement notices.

“Just yesterday our traffic officers caught someone driving at 209km/h along the N2 on the South Coast. We cannot reduce speed-related offences and crashes by hiding behind bushes and under the bridges. We must be visible to road users,” said Kaunda.

RTMC chief executive, Makhosini Msibi, said the financial implications of the resolution document would be submitted to Treasury for cost analysis.

“In the first 10 days of our festive season, fatalities and crashes have sky-rocketed compared with last year. We are re-energised and there will be no nonsense on our roads,” said Msibi.

National Traffic Law Enforcement Review Committee member, Mpumi Mpofu, who presented the resolution document, said they had been tasked with reducing road fatalities by 50 percent in the next four years.

“We need 24/7 visibility. There will be no more knocking off at 5pm,” said Mpofu.

On the sidelines of the conference, officers highlighted challenges they faced, including cases being thrown out of court, rude drivers, alcohol abuse, texting and not wearing seat belts, as well as different regulations in different provinces.

Provincial Inspector, Moremi Mothupi, from Petrusburg in the Free State, said it was important for officers to know the different traffic laws of different provinces.South Africans Against Drunk Drivers (SADD) founder Caro Smit welcomed the proposed use of new technology as well as increased visibility of officers, particularly at night.

“Drunk driving accounts for more than 60 percent of crashes globally and we welcome these proposals. You can’t ask people to behave, because they won’t,” said Smith.

Last night AA spokesman Layton Beard was cautiously optimistic about the proposed resolutions. “We welcome anything that is aimed at reducing fatalities on our roads, but you also have to balance all this against the cost,” said Beard.