The chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Transport, Dikeledi Magadzi, has called for severe punishment for the transgressors of the rules of the road and zero tolerance towards people arrested for drunk driving.
The preliminary Festive Season Road Safety Report shows that 1 612 people lost their lives on the country’s roads from 1 December 2018 to 8 January 2019.
“It is clear that something drastic ought to be done to curb this number. What is even more worrying is that a large portion of this figure is as a result of recklessness of public transport,” Magadzi said.
On Wednesday, Transport Minister Blade Nzimande released the preliminary Festive Season Road Safety Report which showed that the Northern Cape, Free State and Eastern Cape recorded the highest percentage increases in fatalities.
Magadzi said it’s time to think of additional and new programmes that will strengthen speed enforcement and vehicle roadworthiness measures.
“Such programmes should inspire responsible driving. It is time that government entities and law enforcement agencies take ownership of what happens on the roads. Law enforcement operations on the roads should be enhanced even if it means inconveniencing the road user,” she said.
Magadzi said preparations for the Easter weekend should start now and hotspots for fatal accidents should be identified and prioritised in order to reduce accidents. – SAnews.gov.za
