The Department of Transport, in collaboration with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), on Monday launched the United Nations (UN) Global Road Safety Week in a bid to reduce road fatalities.
The event started with the road safety pedestrian walk led by Transport Minister Dikobe Ben Martins at the weekend. RTMC spokesperson Ashraf Ismail says the RTMC has joined a number of countries around the world in observing the UN Road Safety Week. Martins says the focus, particularly in South-Africa, is on pedestrian safety.
The Minister launched the campaign officially, keeping in mind that in South Africa almost 42% of annual fatalities comprise of pedestrians. The country has a major problem with regard to pedestrian fatalities and clearly the one area that the ministry would like to focus on is to ensure that pedestrian awareness becomes part and parcel of all road user behaviour, going forward.
Over the weekend, Martins said that the primary cause of deaths on South Africa’s roads is the irresponsibility of motorists who drive under the influence of alcohol. He was speaking at the Soweto-leg of the campaign’s launch.
The United Nations says globally, over 5 000 pedestrians die every week on the roads, with Martins adding that 42% of people who died on the roads this Easter were pedestrians.
[SABC news.co.za]
