A report highlighting major road safety risk factors in South Africa has been published by the South African AA.
The report, in three separate chapters covering seat belts, speed and drink driving, is intended to raise awareness of road safety issues within a country that suffers more than 15,000 road fatalities each year. The research was co-funded by the FIA Foundation.
On seat belts the report examines crash statistics and case studies and shows that, despite legislation in 1996, compliance by drivers is well below 40%. The AA of South Africa’s report argues for a combination of enforcement, education and publicity to tackle the problem. It points out that seat belts are a known effective cure for many road injuries and ‘all it takes to make oneself safer is a little discipline, minimal self respect and the urge to click that buckle into place every time we begin a trip’.
The report also examines data and case studies for speeding and drink driving. For all three risk factors, the report proposes short and long term action to improve road user behaviour and the road safety culture on South Africa’s roads.