The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) in partnership with Uber will on Tuesday host the 2024 Road Safety Summit, bringing together experts from across all sectors to find urgent solutions to the number of vehicle crashes and fatalities.
The summit comes at a critical time – just two weeks before the start of the holiday season – which often sees heightened traffic volumes as holiday makers travel to various destinations.
“With the goal of halving serious injuries and fatalities by 2030, this gathering will be a continuation of 2023 discussions and will serve as a platform to reflect on our progress, identify gaps, and chart a path forward to a safer road environment for all South Africans,” said the RTMC in a statement.
The corporation said South Africa has made significant strides in road safety.
South Africa has set itself a target of reducing road fatalities by 50% from 13 967 fatalities recorded in 2010, according to the National Road Safety Strategy 2016 to 2030.
According to this target South Africa was supposed to have 11 500 (18% reduction) by the end of 2023, however, it managed to reduce fatalities to 11 883 (15% reduction).
Globally only ten countries achieved a 50% reduction in road fatalities, reductions of 40–49% were observed in 15 countries, 30–39% in 20 countries, 20–29% in 33 countries, and 10–19% in 19 countries, according to the World Health Organisation. During this period, reductions larger than 2% were observed in 108 countries.
“With only six years remaining until 2030, there is still much work to be done. The Department of Transport has initiated a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder evaluation of the NRSS to assess our achievements and identify areas for improvement,” it said.
Key challenges persist in the following areas:
• Strengthening collaboration across public, private and civil society sectors.
• Improving enforcement of road traffic regulations, particularly regarding seatbelt use and drink driving.
• Expanding the availability of provincial road traffic law enforcement at night and over weekends.
• Reducing speed in high-risk areas, especially where vehicle and pedestrian conflicts occur.
• Addressing infrastructure maintenance and prioritising roads with 3-star safety ratings.
• Advancing vehicle safety standards and regulations.
The summit takes place from 26 to 27 November in Brixton, Johannesburg.
It aims to develop actionable plans that can be implemented within the next 12 months to further enhance the NRSS.
The RTMC said it would further foster greater collaboration between civil society, business and the public sector to ensure sustained efforts toward road safety. – SAnews.gov.za
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