Did you know?
• Less than 54% of front-seat occupants wear seat belts in SA
• Less than 8% of rear-seat occupants wear seat belts in SA
• SA has about 900 000 vehicle collisions every year.
Tips from the Automoble Association:
• Always wear your seat belt
Did you know?
• Less than 54% of front-seat occupants wear seat belts in SA
• Less than 8% of rear-seat occupants wear seat belts in SA
• SA has about 900 000 vehicle collisions every year.
Tips from the Automoble Association:
• Always wear your seat belt
• Children should always be seated in an approved and suitable car seat
• The combination of seat belts and air bags dramatically decreases the risk of serious injury or even death in the event of a car crash.
Periodic reports in the media have highlighted the high accident statistics in South Africa and, along with these, reports of extortion and unscrupulous practices compromising motorists involved in road accidents. This has prompted the AA to examine the situation and advise motorists on what to avoid and what to do if you are unfortunate enough to have a road accident.
“It is estimated that of the 900 000 accidents reported to the South African Police Service in 2008, at least 150 000 people were injured – of these about 60 000 required hospitalisation,” says Gary Ronald, head of public affairs at the AA. “Approximately 14 500 people died in road accidents last year. The estimated cost of all vehicle crashes to the South African economy in 2008 was R56-billion, representing 3.5% of GDP. By comparison, the cost of crashes in developed countries at 1% of GDP is considerably lower,” he adds.
Almost 85% of crashes are as a result of human error (or more accurately, by the road user breaking a traffic law). For example, a pedestrian crossing a busy motorway, a driver overtaking on a solid barrier line or driving under the influence of alcohol.
It is believed that about 5% of all crashes are because of unroadworthy vehicles and mechanical failure, but in the absence of credible data this percentage could be higher. The average age of cars on South African roads is 11 years while the average age of Accident Towing trucks and buses is 20 years. The absence of periodic vehicle testing makes these older vehicles more likely to be unroadworthy and perhaps more susceptible to critical safety component failure being the cause of a crash.
There are almost eight million licensed drivers, most of whom have had very little training.
The AA is actively involved in numerous road safety initiatives, including the International Make Roads Safe: Decade of Road Safety campaign, which aims to reduce global road fatalities by 50% over the next decade.
The SA government is a signatory to the campaign and the AA will be working with government in efforts to attain the 50% goal by advocating changes to relevant legislation and looking for solutions to known problems in road safety. Some of the legislative amendments the AA are lobbying to change are the seat-belt laws regarding children, compulsory daytime running lights for public and commercial vehicles and reducing the blood-alcohol limit to zero.
