Pretoria – Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has made a plea for motorists in South Africa to take responsibility and ensure that South Africa’s roads become safer.
“As the South African government we want people to take responsibility to make sure that we eradicate people dying on the road. We want you to always arrive alive at your destination. It is important that our people take responsibility. The first line of responsibility is the driver, the passenger and the pedestrian,” Peters told GCIS Radio on Friday.
This comes after 11 people were killed and several others injured when a bus crashed into a passenger car on the N1 near Makhado early this morning.
The Limpopo Roads and Transport Department said the accident occurred just before the Capricorn toll plaza when the bus, which was reportedly overtaking on the barrier line, crashed into the motor vehicle at about 2am.
The department said five of the deceased were in the car, while six were in the bus. Reports say six people were taken to hospital in a critical condition. Eleven were seriously injured and 30 people were slightly injured.
The minister said that an investigation had been launched into the cause of the crash.
She said while government would play its part by enforcing the rules and regulations, increasing the visibility of traffic officers and ensuring that those who drink and drive, speed or overtake dangerously are arrested, the public also had a role to play.
“We want to make sure that South Africans stay alive in this festive period. We are appealing to South Africans that it is in your own interest - in your own safety - to respect the rules of the road.
“To the motorist, let us make sure that the vehicles we drive are roadworthy, truck drivers can you make sure that you drive a truck that is roadworthy … fleet owners, you will be held responsible if the vehicle that you give to the driver is not in a good condition.”
She said government had passed regulations regarding the testing for alcohol and they were starting to produce results. Government was working on regulation regarding the use of car seats for children.
“If you have got children in the car, make sure that they are buckled up or get a car seat. We believe that it is important that children under 10 be kept safe in the vehicles because it is the children who are the ones that actually get more hurt. We want to make sure that parents take responsibility,” said the minister.
She said government called on South Africans to ensure the roads are there to take people from one point to another.
“Lets us not have roads of death in South Africa, let’s have roads that lead to destinations of prosperity and unity.”
She was speaking during a Siyahlola presidential monitoring visit by President Jacob Zuma to the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality in Mthatha as part of government's service delivery monitoring campaign. – SAnews.gov.za
