AA – ‘More effective policing needed on SA roads’

For some time now the Automobile Association (AA) has been calling for more effective traffic policing as an urgent step to addressing road carnage in the country.

According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), approximately 13 000 people died on the country’s roads last year.

While it is agreed that the attitude of motorists generally needs significant improvement, a radical rethink is also needed among traffic law enforcement authorities to address serious crashes and road deaths on the country’s roads.

“Road safety in South Africa remains a major problem; too many motorists simply ignore the rules, believing that they are either above the law, will never be caught or that they will not be harmed through their own reckless driving.

“If the death toll is to decrease, this attitude needs to change,” the AA says.

The association adds that while this is important, nothing will change without more effective traffic policing.

It said that the enforcement of laws against dangerous driving actions need to be prioritised by law enforcement authorities.

This included monitoring drivers who speed, but also those who overtake dangerously, drive in emergency lanes to avoid traffic congestion, use electronic devices while driving or who swerve in and out of traffic without regard for other drivers.

“Laws are flouted and lives are risked on the road and that is where our law enforcers need to be; on the road.

“The areas, which are known to the police and public where laws are consistently being ignored, should receive focused attention,” says the AA.

The association adds that apart from changing the way they operate, law enforcers also needed to ensure they applied the law consistently and fairly, to all road users.

“While this approach may not immediately solve the long-term problems inherent on our roads, we believe it is a necessary first step to saving lives,” the AA concludes.