Road Safety Management activity highlights during October Transport Month

During October Transport Month 2020, the Department of Transport and Public Works Directorate: Road Safety Management (RSM) embarked on a number of road safety initiatives to strengthen road safety education and awareness in the Western Cape. The aim is to reduce the number of people killed and injured on the province’s roads.

October Transport Month is an annual campaign launched by the National Department of Transport in 2005 to promote South Africa’s road safety initiatives.

On Thursday, 1 October 2020, RSM and Provincial Traffic Law Enforcement conducted a roadblock to launch Transport Month near Somerset West Weighbridge. Vehicles were stopped and checked for roadworthiness, driver fitness and driver’s licences. Road safety officers engaged with motorists on safe ways to travel.

On Thursday, 8 October 2020, RSM and Drakenstein Municipal Traffic Law Enforcement hosted a learner transport driver awareness event in Paarl at Ligstraal School for Learners with Special Educational Needs. The intervention created an opportunity for RSM and Drakenstein Traffic to engage with drivers and learners on good driver behaviour.

A passenger, driver and pedestrian awareness event took place at Site C Taxi Rank on Wednesday, 14 October 2020 in partnership with the City of Cape Town Traffic Services. “The event gave government the opportunity to educate drivers and the public about road safety, particularly pedestrian deaths”, said Al-Ameen Kafaar, Deputy Director: Road Safety Management. “Sixty per cent of people who died in crashes between 1 January and 30 September 2020 were pedestrians”, he added.

Road safety officers from the Garden Route District participated in a roadblock on the N2 that took on Wednesday, 21 October 2020 to engage with motorists about travelling safely. Vehicles stopped at the roadblock were checked for roadworthiness, driver fitness and driver’s licences. “A number of roadblocks are held in the province as part of Transport Month to enforce the law and educate drivers”, said road safety officer Zamikhaya Tunywashe.

A campaign to educate drivers and passengers was held at Somerset West Taxi Rank on Friday, 23 October 2020. On the same day, road safety officers engaged with pedestrians on safer ways of crossing the road on the N2 near the turnoff to Grabouw.
Road safety officers took part in the fatigue management operation in Rietfontein on Sunday, 25 October 2020. Vehicles were stopped to be checked for roadworthiness, driver fitness, and driver’s licences.

“Our campaigns for the month of October focused on drivers, passengers and pedestrians because we saw a rise in crashes when the country opened for Alert Level 1 of the lockdown. In addition to our live campaigns, we had two radio interviews where we mainly focused on pedestrians because we saw a rise in the number of pedestrians killed between 1 January and 30 September 2020”, said Nokuzola Letselebe, Acting Director: Road Safety Management.

“During the month of December, we are expecting a lot of road activity because people will be travelling from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape to visit their families. We are planning to strengthen our initiatives, focusing on driver, pedestrian, passenger and freight driver awareness campaigns”, she added.

For more information on the Road Safety Management December Campaign, please visit www.westerncape.gov.za