Government plans to implement laws to take away the driver’s licences of motorists who show that they’re a danger on our roads.
Government plans to implement laws to take away the driver’s licences of motorists who show that they’re a danger on our roads.
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters declared this warning to all reckless drivers during a two-day national Road Safety Summit in Boksburg last Friday 4 October.
“We are saying if you are reckless, you are not going to be allowed by government and the people of South Africa to drive,” Peters said, “because you are going to contribute to [increased]road carnage. We are going to… make sure that people lose their licence to drive because they are licensed to drive, but not to kill.”
The minister said by doing this, government is protecting people against themselves.
“If you are reckless and dangerous on our roads, we will take that licence because you would have just proven to us that you cannot be trusted with that.
“Other countries have done it and we believe it is doable. If you don’t adhere to the licence conditions, why still keep the licence?” she said.
At the summit themed ‘Together, championing road safety 365 days’ Peters urged road users and stakeholders to play their parts in reducing road crashes and deaths.
This can be done by changing road user behaviour, encouraging voluntary compliance with traffic rules and making road safety part of everyday life in the country, she said.
The summit also discussed the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO).
A number of innovations were included in the draft AARTO Amendment Bill, which was published for comment in the government gazette. These include:
· Establishment of an appeal tribunal
· Administration of rehabilitation programmes, including the provision of community service at government mortuaries and hospital trauma wards for victims of road crashes and
· The service of documents by electronic means, in addition to the traditional methods of service by registered mail and in person.
Peters said implementing AARTO and the Points Demerit System were but some of the mechanisms geared at increasing and sustaining road safety in the country.
“They are not stand-alone programmes but part of a suite of proactive strategies for the improvement of road safety as a 365-day programme,” she said.
The devastating effects of road crashes impact negatively on the livelihoods of families and the socio-economic fabric of the country, Peters said, and must be stopped.
This year’s Transport Month theme is ‘Celebrating 20 years of delivering efficient, reliable and safe transport services’.
During October government will highlight the successes of all stakeholders in creating safe transport modes, although South Africa’s road death toll remains at an unacceptably high level.
The statistics around pedestrians are especially concerning, given that pedestrian deaths topped the 2013 Easter statistics.
Casualties occur in spite of government’s continued call for responsible driving behaviour, such as maintaining the applicable speed limit, not drinking and driving, and being aware and sensitive to other road users and pedestrians. – SAnews.gov.za
