The horrific car accident that left four people dead, nine critically injured and 47 others sustaining minor to moderate injuries after a truck ploughed into vehicles on the N12 east in Alberton, near the Voortrekker Road off-ramp , is but one of the daily phenomenon that we are confronted with on our roads.
More than 40 vehicles were caught up in the collision. Measures have been put in place to ensure that accidents and fatalities are curbed, but we must acknowledge that no strategy or plan can work without road users changing their behaviour on the road.
All road users continue to know what it is that they must do, but the majority choose to ignore and disobey the rules of the road. One may ask why a driver would confidently get into a vehicle that does not meet safety standards.
Government and all parties concerned can employ plans and strategy, but if the road users don’t change their behavior and attitude, the plans and strategies will yield little or no results.
Responsible road usage is the most crucial strategy that individually we can adopt in addressing the high level of road carnage in our province. Equally so, traffic law enforcement will not be reluctant to ensure that those who fail to adhere to the rules of the roads face the wrath of the law.
Let us all remember that our traffic law enforcers cannot be deployed at every corner of the road, but as road users we need to work with them to ensure that our road become accident-free. In the freight sector, most employers are to be blamed for running after profit at the expense of innocent lives. These horrible accidents can be avoided if we all take a responsible stance for our road safety. No government or traffic law enforcer can change our attitude, but us. Change must come from within if we want see a different picture on our roads.
Busi Kheswa, Gauteng Community Safety
