Speed limits review: Lack of training in law enforcement

The Department of Transport and the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s (RTMC’s) proposal to review speed limits to reduce fatalities has been widely welcomed, although experts say South Africa has a huge driver behaviour problem which exposes lack of training in enforcement.

Automobile Association (AA) spokesperson Layton Beard said the issue of training and professionalism of traffic law enforcement officers had already been raised and the AA would support anything that would assist in reducing road carnage in SA.

“This is something I don’t need to think twice about as it was already said by the traffic law enforcement review committee established by the former minister of transport, Dipuo Peters.

“It recommended that SA needed to double the amount of traffic law enforcements on the roads.”

The RTMC highlighted speeding offences increased by 7%, despite the number of vehicles in South Africa only increasing 2% from about 12,698,000 in 2020 to approximately 12,957,000 last year.

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Chief executive of MasterDrive Eugene Herbert said the government was trying to police people who were breaking the speed limit.

However, if they broke the speed limit at 120km/h by doing 140km/h, they were going to break the speed limit even if it was 100km/h.

Herbert added that lowering the speed limits without addressing the issue involving those responsible for enforcement would not change the outcome.

Founder of the Road Ethics Project Dr Lee Randall said it was clear enforcement was limited.

“Evidence has shown in urban areas that 40km/h to 50km/h was much more appropriate than 60km/h, all the way down to 30km/h, was really important for especially school zones and areas where there is vulnerable pedestrian movement. Any conversation that raises the issue of speeding is very appropriate.”