SA’s reckless drivers don’t understand what it’s like to lose someone in an accident

I sat at my desk, fingers on the keyboard, ready to write a breaking story about a major accident that claimed several lives.

But nothing appeared on my screen, and it wasn’t because there was a technical glitch. I was trying to fathom the horror of what I was about to write.  

I had earlier got confirmation of the breaking news that 12 people lost their lives on the East Rand’s R21 highway while they were on their way to work.  

“How could this be?” I asked myself as my fingers finally started typing the news.

Twelve people! Dead, just like that. On Monday, four primary school boys died in a horrific crash on the N12 in Ekurhuleni.

On Sunday, nine people were killed in a bus crash on the N2 between Mandeni and Stanger in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

Twenty-five people dead in just three days. What is going on in South Africa? How can 12 people, who kissed their loved ones goodbye in the morning, climb onto the bus, ready for work, and just never arrive?

What about the school children that died? Young minds that will be lost forever. The church members who died in the bus crash in KZN will never have a chance again to share a prayer for humanity and their loved ones.

But we forget one thing, all those that died have left behind parents, husbands, wives, children and colleagues. The pain is unfathomable, and until you experience it yourself, you will never truly understand the suffering they go through.

ALSO READ: At least 12 people killed in horrific bus crash on East Rand near OR Tambo Airport [VIDEO]

I lost my sister-in-law to a car accident in 2015, coincidentally during the month of Ramadan. I can tell you that my brother oozed pain like blood from a gaping wound. That pain was felt by all those close to him.

It was excruciating watching him suffer the trauma of losing his wife. It has had an impact on him to this day. She left behind a son who sits quietly at times, perhaps reflecting on the happier moments he spent with his mom when she was alive.

While the natural thing to do is console people when they go through such trauma, time only provides temporary relief. My brother hasn’t been the same since that day, and even though he laughs and talks with us, you just have to look beyond the mask to see the pain.

The question is, why are we seeing so much carnage on our roads? Easter and Christmas road deaths aside, the horror is an all-year bloodbath that just doesn’t seem to resonate with some who get behind the wheel of a car, minibus taxi or even a truck.

A few years back, when I did my advanced driving course, former racing driver Grant McCleery told me that when you get into a car, treat it like a loaded weapon.

Now, a loaded weapon in the hands of a criminal is used to commit crime, but in the hands of a police officer it is used to fight crime.

The same goes for a car. It can be used to safely travel to work, go shopping or visit friends amd family. But it can also be a death chamber for you if you drive recklessly.

The sad part is people just don’t understand the implications of driving like they own the road. You are not Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton. They are professional F1 drivers and apply their craft on a race track.

If you have the skills, go to the track, but respect the road and those around you.

I think that some motorists in South Africa just don’t care how they drive, whether it be recklessly or speeding. They will never truly understand what it feels like to lose someone in an accident.

Have a you seen an 18 wheeler truck driving at a 160km/h? I have, on the Grasmere toll road. This is the same route I use to go to work and return home.

A few years back, there was a fatal crash in Lenasia, where a teenager died because of speeding. As his parents, family and friends shed tears and bystanders looked on in horror of the accident, some youngsters got into their cars, burnt rubber and sped away.

Maybe they forgot what had just happened or though that it won’t happen to them. Guess what? If you carry on driving like that, it may just happen to you.

What’s worse is that sometimes innocent people are impacted while the reckless driver survives.

ALSO READ: Families left devastated after four pupils killed in Ekurhuleni crash

As the carnage continues on the roads, I want to plead with Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and President Cyril Ramaphosa to do something, anything, to stop this scourge.

Families cannot continue to be torn apart by horrific accidents.. Perhaps, allocate a larger budget for visible traffic policing and have a zero-tolerance policy. Lock offenders up and throw away the key.

I cannot imagine how motorists who cause accidents where there have been fatalities live with themselves. Do they have a conscience or just move on like it never happened?

As I finished writing my story, I knew that the horrific bus accident near the OR Tambo International Airport will not be the last. I also know that reality will soon strike when another terrible accident happens again, and my heart will fill with pain while reading about another family that has been wiped out by a reckless motorist.  

Let us hope and pray that our roads become safer and that I can focus on other stories – or perhaps write about South Africa having one of the lowest accident rates in the world. Wishful thinking? Perhaps Creecy or Ramaphosa can best answer that question.