EDITOR’S NOTE
How not to put out fires, and how to take death off SA’s roads
Welcome to our first issue of Motor News for 2017. We normally start the year with a look at forthcoming trends, but this week there was no getting away from the disastrous way in which Ford has handled the Kuga fire crisis.
It will not only go down in history as one of the major vehicle recalls, but will no doubt become a case marketing and business students will study in how not to handle a public relations crisis.
We are confident more information will emerge on exactly what went on behind the scenes and why the company did not act in a way that would have made sense to us mere mortals.
Sadly, it was not just the Kuga that made news on our roads in recent months. Transport Minster Dipuo Peters announced that 1,714 people lost their lives over the holiday season — a 5% rise from last year’s figures.
It shows we have a long way to go to improve the situation on our roads. Government and law enforcement agencies must do more and focus on the correct areas, such as visible, 24-hour traffic policing. Improving and fixing infrastructure will also translate into fewer crashes.
However, there is an urgent need for individuals to take safety more seriously. Jumping a red traffic light might seem like a minor infringement but that is all it takes to risk crashing into a vehicle.
Drunk driving must also stop. I read a comment by a lecturer the other day which those who think they can get away with it should pay attention to: “It might interest you to know these laws against drunk driving don’t exist to protect you from yourself. It’s not about you. It’s to protect innocent people from dying because of you.”
Definitely words that many should think about.
On our back page, we look at some of the challenges and trends of 2017. It will be a fascinating year for technology in the automotive world and hopefully SA will be in a position to embrace much of it.
Finally, this month marks the 10th year that Lerato and I have been the core editorial team of Motor News. It has been an incredible decade and we have worked with some fantastic people, too many to mention, but we say thank you to all of them and to all those who have enjoyed Motor News every week.
We wish you a great 2017.