THE PREMIER'S WELCOMING ADDRESS
Master of CeremoniesLet me take this opportunity to welcome you all.
MEC's present here today
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Last night a number of children were left without a father,
without a mother. In the early hours of this morning a woman in Mpumalanga was
widowed. Many people have been admitted to hospital having suffered serious
injuries. Some of them may never return.
They will be statistics in South Africa's road carnage.
Too many children are orphaned. Too many men and women are widowed each time this year.
An average of 10 000 people are killed in road related accidents annually. About 250 000 are injured annually. The cost to the economy is estimated at RIO billion per annum.
Master of Ceremonies;
Can we really afford such a dent to our economy?
Can we afford loss of human life?
Can we afford such human misery?
Today as we launch the Arrive Alive Campaign let us all stand
united in declaring that:
The human loss and suffering,
Hospitalisation costs,
Emergency related costs,
Recovery,
Costs and loss of productivity
are unacceptable.
Most accidents can be avoided. Most accidents happen, not because of human error, but because of human negligence. How many of us go onto the road in cars that are not roadworthy? How many of us drive like we want to compete with drivers at the Kayalami Racetrack?
As drivers we constantly violate rules. We gamble with our
lives and those of other road users. It is because we take chances with what we
consider minor offences that we soon graduate to
bigger things.
How many of you gamble with and get away with parking offences, speeding offences, negligent or reckless driving?
How many taxi drivers load passengers on a taxi they know too well that it is not fit to be used as a public vehicle?
How many drivers overload their taxis knowing fully well that their tyres are what we call "cheesekope"?
Still how many drive at breakneck speed in order to drop off passengers and come back for another load?
It is not uncommon to find busses travelling at between 160 and 18O Kilometres an hour on the Moloto Road. If an animal crosses the path of that bus, or if drunken pedestrian crosses the road you are not going to be able to stop.
Bad driving habits and behaviour, unroadworthy vehicles and sometimes-poor pedestrian behaviour have contributed to terrible accidents, loss of life and damage. My appeal to you today as road users is to be polite, keep within the limit, don't drink and drive. Busdrivers, be aware that the limit on the roads is 100 kilometres an hour; even in a 120 kilometre zone.
If you exceed the limit, you will meet with the full might of the law because traffic law enforcement officers will be out there waiting for you. They will be doing that in order to protect you, your family and other road users. They told me there would be zero tolerance on speeding, drunken driving, bad driving and unroadworthy vehicles. Several roadblocks will be mounted in the province to ensure that you don't end up as a statistic.
We are also implementing legislation to make provision for the administrative adjudication of road traffic offences. The effect will be to relieve the burden on courts having to deal with thousands of lesser traffic offences. The new system will be effective and efficient.
Drivers and owners will ignore ticketed fines at their peril. Their motor vehicle licences may not be renewed without all fines having been paid. But there will be more serious consequences as we phase in the demerit points system.
Persistent violators will face suspension of their driving licences. Courts will be able to concentrate on the more serious driving offences.
As we improve law enforcement, we will find a culture of greater law compliance beginning to develop. To the drivers please pull off the road and rest when you are tired or sleepy. I appeal to tour operators and bus drivers and owners to adhere to the agreement reached at the Summit on Bus Safety in Cape Town on September 30.
You will remember that the summit resolved to regulate and enforce maximum driving hours and the phased introduction of compulsory recording equipment on tourist and long-distance public transport vehicles;
Operators undertook that they would; voluntary submit their vehicles for comprehensive vehicle fitness tests. Government will ensure that capacity for this intensive testing programme is made available.
The organised bus industry and organised labour further committed themselves to work together in a campaign of driver education and training to improve the quality and skill of bus drivers across the industry.
This campaign will focus particularly on the issues of compliance with the law, vehicle safety checks, and the use of appropriate speed under different road, environmental and visibility conditions. That is laudable, Master of Ceremonies.
To pedestrians, please don't endanger the lives of drivers and their passengers by crossing the road at an undesignated point.
Finally, to the farmers I appeal to you to ensure that your cattle and your other livestock are safely behind a high fence. Don't let your cattle stray on the road.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate to you that government, and especially my department, is committed to reducing the rate of accidents on our roads.
"Arrive Alive".
Remember it is better to arrive late than to arrive dead on time.
Thank you.