Minister moves for harsher sentences on erring drivers
The Minister says engagement with magistrates and prosecutors will call for road traffic offences be classified as Schedule five cases.
MINISTER of Transport, Mr Joe Maswanganyi has declared 2018 as the year of improved road safety in South Africa and says this will see intensified engagement with magistrates and prosecutors throughout the country to sensitise them about the importance of imposing harsher sentences on negligent drivers.
Engagements will also include classifying road traffic offences as Schedule five cases.
The Department will also prioritise the fight against fraud and corruption by closing down testing stations where incidents of fraud and corruption are discovered.
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This was revealed in a report released by the Minister which announced a 10 per cent decline in road crashes and fatalities in KwaZulu Natal over the 2017/18 festive season period.
According to a report released on Monday, the province recorded 279 crashes compared to 311 in the same period the previous year. There were 324 fatalities compared to 361 over the same period the previous year.
The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mr. Mxolisi Kaunda, welcomed the festive season’s report saying the preliminary statistics, which cover the period between 1 December 2017 to 15 January 2018, indicate that the number of road crashes declined by 6% nationally from 1 480 in 2016/17 to 1 391 in 2017/18.
Road fatalities have also declined by 11% nationally from 1 875 in 2016/17 to 1 676 in 2017/17.
Kaunda attributed the decline in the province to intensive multi-disciplinary roadblocks conducted throughout the festive season and strong collaboration between government, civil society, business and the media in reinforcing road safety messages. He praised the law enforcement agencies for “closing ranks” in all hazardous areas in the province to ensure the reduction of crashes.
However, he expressed concern that light motor vehicles contributed 49% of road crashes.
“We are pleased that there was a significant decline of nine (9) percent in the number of road crashes involving public transport modes, which include buses and minibus taxis,” said Kaunda.
He noted that eThekwini was amongst the areas in the country, which recorded a disturbing increase in fatal crashes.
“Speed also remains a major cause for concern since we still have motorists who are driving at above 220 kilometres per hour,” he said.
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