So we have arrived – 2019. Happy new year.
The year has started wet, and we have been greeted with at least some good news that the petrol price has dropped.
Bad news is that economists are predicting even tougher times, with the Rand remaining volatile while the government tries to find solutions to imploding parastatals, high unemployment, corruption and burdening debt.
While many apparently drink from some or other magical fountain to bolster their levels of optimism for a new year, in reality, nothing has changed, only a shift in the calendar.
The same old drama of 2018 clings to us like a nasty infection, and the criminals also have no intention of slowing down the rampage of violence and destruction.
Sadly, despite all the warnings and pleas for safe and considerate driving, SA roads were again bathed in blood.
In 18 days along from the beginning of December, almost 800 people lost their lives, a spike of around 16 per cent. This included at least 31 people dying in 29 fatal crashes on Gauteng roads over a weekend.
Concerns have also been raised about apparent unruly late-night escapades in Ekurhuleni after the city said it had recorded an astonishing 31 road-related deaths since the beginning of December.
The EMPD also made it clear that a good percentage of these accidents are people in single vehicles, drinking and speeding, losing control, overturning, hitting walls or even crossing the median line, which results in head-on collisions.
Transport Minister Blade Nzimande has also blasted unroadworthy vehicles, drunk drivers and reckless taxi operators for the rise in fatalities.
A preliminary report showed that 86 per cent of all incidents are the result of human error, with minibus taxis being involved in 34 fatal accidents.
All of this has prompted the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to table a complete overhaul of South Africa’s testing regulations.
One of the proposals to curb the road carnage is compulsory retest for driver’s licences. It’s reported that, under the new law, motorists will have to redo the driver’s licence test every five years.
Current regulations require motorists to reapply and renew their licences every five years – the only test required is an eye test.
There are also the proposals for newly qualified motorists to be restricted from making long road trips (defined as being over 150km) and for newly qualified drivers to be supervised, meaning it will be compulsory for a newly qualified motorist to be supervised by an experienced driver for the first six months after receiving a licence.
Question is, will any of this help to curb road carnage?
Remember, there were also talks of stricter punishment when caught drinking and driving, yet nothing has been finalised.
Personally, retesting every five years will become an absolute nightmare to regulate, while there is probably some sort of logic to the concept of inexperienced drivers not tackling long roads too early.
But seriously, how on earth will an inexperienced driver manage to constantly find an experienced driver to accompany him or her for six months on trips?
The reality is that SA’s roads are stained in red because of bad attitude, not so much inept driving ability. If you look at how people drive, it is simply a matter of not giving a hoot about other motorists or about the rules of the road.
If someone drives an untrustworthy vehicle, or speeds, or drinks and drives, it all speaks of a bad attitude. It speaks of a selfish nature because you simply do not care about other people’s safety.
It is that simple. Sure, there are those who it seems do not know how to drive at all, or who do not know the rules of the road, but it boils down to attitude that determines our behaviour on the road.
So will retesting every five years solve anything? No, because we have an attitude problem in this country, which is equally prevalent among criminals who do not care if they destroy the lives of loved ones.
It is the same prevalent attitude that fuels corruption and mismanagement of taxpayers’ money.
It is a bad and terrible attitude that reeks of decay, and it is the same attitude that exacerbates poor service delivery.
So, sadly, we are heading into 2019 with the same attitude derailing this country and Father Time has no power to magically change this status quo.
At least we are in for some fun with the upcoming national elections when things can change by the power of the people for the good of the people.
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