South Africa News

Road safety starts with changing behaviour, says Fikile Mbalula

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula has urged members of society to play an active role in road safety after the recent spate of fatalities on South Africa’s roads. The call comes in the wake of crashes, each with multiple fatalities, in the Western Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga since last Thursday.

“We must all appreciate that safety on our roads is a collective responsibility we must all shoulder. Each one of us must be able to define their individual contribution to making our roads safer for our children as well as future generations.

This starts with changing the behaviour that places the lives of other road users at risk,” said Mbalula. He said his department had taken solid steps towards curbing the fatalities, but cited road user behaviour as important in the process.

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula

“The roll-out of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) is not just about a more efficient way of adjudicating road traffic offences, but also about creating effective incentives to change road user behaviour,” said Mbalula.

Among the steps to curb fatalities is the introduction of traffic policing as a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week activity.

Mbalula said all traffic authorities in the country were being engaged through relevant channels to ensure the implementation of the intervention did not negatively affect working conditions of officers.

In other news – Maimane urges unity in Africa as SA celebrates Heritage Day

Maimane was speaking at a DA event celebrating Heritage Day on Tuesday outside former president Nelson Mandela’s home in Orlando West, Soweto.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane says citizens should work towards a shared heritage and build partnerships with others, including those from other African countries. Read more

Source: Timeslive