Issue

Problem / need

Interventions to 2005

Key agencies

Timescale (In years)

[See list of acronyms after table]

< 1

1-2

2-5

THE ROAD USER

STANDARDS AND RULES

Driver breath & blood alcohol content (reduced limit) + ban on driving with hand-held cell-phones

Previous limit set too high

2000: New alcohol limits introduced:

- Breath: 0.24 gm / 1000 ml

(Professional drivers 0.1 gm / 1000ml)

- Blood: 0.05gm / 100ml

(Professional drivers 0.02 gm / 100ml)

2000: New cell-phone law introduced

SAPS, traffic officers

P

Computerised learner’s licence test

Fraud & corruption in learner’s licence testing system

Immediate tender for touch-screen, audio-visual testing system in all 11 national languages, for piloting/roll-out in provinces over next 2 years

NDoT, PDoTs

P

Revision of K-53 licence test

Accessibility and relevance issues

• National Workshop to assess current training manuals, clarify theoretical component, develop practical road environment awareness & defensive driving skills

• Permanent technical committee for ongoing test revision to be established

NDoT + reps. from traffic colleges, driving school industry etc.

P

Stricter criteria for PrDP test

Under-qualified & medically unfit professional drivers

National workshop to draft changes to 2-yearly theoretical & practical driving test, tighten up medical fitness test

NDoT, reps. from traffic colleges, driving school industry, SAMC

P

Fatigue management

Evidence of fatigue as major factor in road crashes

Address issue of driver hours regulation initially at the level of professional drivers, via consultation with freight and passenger fleet operators, unions/industry NBC and Dept of Labour

NDoT, DoL, RFA, SABOA, Driver Unions

P

COMPLIANCE (Enforcement)

Implementation of AARTO / RTIA

Courts clogged with routine traffic cases, high % of fines unpaid, culture of impunity

• take routine offences out of the judicial system;
• implement the power to collect fines administratively and attach the property of fine-defaulters;
• systematise licence suspensions via the AARTO points demerit system

NDoT, PDoTs

P

Public-private partnerships in support of RTIA

Need for immediate & sustained local-level efficiency gains in fine detection and processing

Make use of private sector capital and technology to radically improve fine detection (see also "The Road Environment" below) and collection – to include strategies for on-line payment of fines

- Continues through life of strategy

NDoT, PDoTs, local govt, private sector

P

P

P

Sentencing consistency

Wide variation in sentencing patterns for road traffic violations

Minister of Transport to secure support of Minister of Justice and NDPP to:

• finalise backlog of traffic cases;
• launch a programme of workshops on sentencing norms for prosecutors and magistrates;
• create dedicated traffic courts in major population centres & regularly deploy mobile traffic courts;
• consider community service sentencing options to level out uneven "capacity to pay" & re-educate offenders

NDoT, DoJ / NDPP, CSIR

P

Driver re-training/ re-testing after serious convictions/ licence suspension

Repeat offending

Ensure adequate capacity in driver training sector to support re-training & licence re-testing as a sentencing option for serious offences and repeat offenders (after licence suspension for exceeding points demerit threshold)

(See also "Institutional reform/quality monitoring")

NDoT, SAIDI

P

COMPLIANCE (Education, communication & public participation)

Road safety education for youth

Extremely high rate of pedestrian and youth road casualties

Complete implementation of road safety education modules in mainstream education system (pre-primary to Grade 12) + consultation with DoE and higher education sector on extending safety education to tertiary institutions

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, DoE, tertiary institutions

P

P

P

Specialist road safety educators

Low levels of specialist road safety knowledge / skills amongst teachers

Begin immediate consultations with DoE on devising specialist road safety education courses for student teachers (for delivery to both students and community organisations)

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, DoE, CSIR

P

P

P

Shova Lula: National Bicycle Programme

Ensuring basic safety measures to support expanded mobility

Safety measures to be factored into each stage of the programme of expanded bicycle provision, and integrated with pedestrian safety programmes at provincial & local government levels

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, PDoTs, local govt, CSIR

P

P

Ministerial consultative process on pedestrian and commuter safety

Need for coordinated multi-sectoral planning and participation

Minister to initiate a dialogue between senior national, provincial and metro/local politicians & officials and a wide range of civil society organisations to review strategies for pedestrian & cyclist safety, road signs observance, commuter vigilance & empowerment. Provincial processes to follow, focusing on funding and coordination of local community initiatives (See also below)

Minister, MECs, Mayors, NDoT, PDoTs, civil society organisations

P

Provincial / local govt / community / private sector Community Road Safety Forums

Low levels of community participation in / ownership of coordinated pedestrian safety programmes

Deepen ongoing pedestrian safety programmes through rapid expansion of Community Road Safety Forums, involving local schools, NGOs and CBOs in identification of hazards and framing of effective solutions. Local government commitment and multi-disciplinary / multi-agency approach critical for success

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, PDoTs, local govt, SANRAL, NGOs, CBOs, private sector

P

P

P

Reflective armband programme

Pedestrian and cyclist visibility

Rapidly expand the reflective armband programme with support from private sector sponsors; extend to cyclists; also investigate private sector support for the provision of protective headwear for cyclists

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, private sector

P

P

P

Public participation in monitoring of road traffic violations

Sense of cynicism amongst general public about their power to intervene

· Establish a National Call Centre, with support from private sector telecommunications companies, to give access to public transport passengers to report unsafe vehicles & drivers, and to general public to report DLTC and VTS fraud, moving violations, overloading etc.

· Call Centre complaints to be directed to fleet operators, Inspectorates, SAPS, or traffic control centres as appropriate, to enable rapid and effective follow-up

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, private sector, SAPS, traffic police

P

P

P

Empowerment of public transport passengers

Fear, cynicism, disempowerment in relation to their rights as customers

Introduce a compulsory Passenger’s Charter setting out driver, vehicle and customer service standards: to be displayed in every public passenger transport vehicle, and to be actionable through both company complaint lines and access to the National Call Centre

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, SACO, bus, coach and taxi operators, SAPS, traffic police

P

P

P

P

P

P

• New sentencing norms and options

P

• Driver testing standards changes (K-53 test, computerised learner’s test and stricter, more regular PrDP tests)

P

• Launch of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency

P

• Launch of the National Call Centre

P

• Launch of the Passenger’s Charter

P

• Shova Lula: The National Bicycle Programme

P

P

P

P

P

COMPLIANCE (Institutional reform / quality assurance)

Upgrade capacity of DLTCs

20% of DLTCs currently non-compliant

National government to make available funding to provinces to upgrade sub-standard DLTCs against a Business Plan & output-based contract indicating corrective measures, costings and delivery time-frame

NDoT, PDoTs

P

• Upgrade existing number of DLTC inspectors to minimum of 20 by year 2002

NDoT

P

P

• Review and upgrade training procedures & technical, legal and forensic audit skills via the creation of a new formal training curriculum; accredit and implement

NDoT, NDPP, SAQA, tertiary colleges

P

· Initiate first cycle of 4 inspections per DLTC per annum from second half of 2001

NDoT DLTC Inspectorate

P

Amend National Road Traffic Act to:

• Geographically bind DLTCs
• Introduce re-registration of DLTCs tied to technical/forensic inspection / record of public complaints
• Introduce 2-yearly re-registration of examiners, tied to completion of appropriate refresher course

NDoT

P

• Create the required qualification & examination system

NDoT, CSIR, SAQA, SAIDI, tertiary colleges

P

Investigate creation of Inspectorate for driving schools

Sector currently unregulated

Investigate resource, organisational, regulatory and logistical implications of creating an Inspectorate of Driving Schools, either as a stand-alone function or incorporated into the expanded DLTC Inspectorate

NDoT, SANTF, CSIR, SAIDI, SAQA

P

Formalisation & regulation of driving schools

Fraud, collusion and incompetence in the driving school industry - leading to driver incompetence

• Set formal accreditation criteria for driving school owners and define minimum service standards for driving schools (including institutions offering specialist advanced / defensive driver and instructor training)
• Introduce 2-yearly re-registration criteria for instructors, linked to specified theoretical knowledge and advanced/updated driving skills

NDoT, SANTF, CSIR, SAIDI, SAQA

P

THE ROAD ENVIRONMENT

STANDARDS AND RULES

Implement new road environment standards manuals

Need to realise full practical potential of completed manuals

Implementation of requirements of New Road Safety, Road Signs & Pedestrian Safety Manuals became law 31 Dec 2000. Provinces mandated to guarantee required funds in MTEF budgetary process

NDoT, PDoTs

P

Multi-agency treatment of hazardous locations/ road stretches

Need to improve coordination amongst existing agencies, expand hazardous location remedial programme

In tandem with provincial / local government / community participation processes, ensure that a continuous provincial level programme of hazardous location audits is in place and that appropriate technical, engineering & administrative resources are made available to support community initiatives; resources of SANRAL to be used wherever appropriate

- Continues through life of strategy

NDoT, PDoTs, local govt, SANRAL

P

P

P

Multi-agency approach to rural road construction & upgrade programmes

Need to give strong support to inter-governmental rural infrastructure development programmes

Create coordinating structure to link NDoT participation in integrated rural development programmes with provincial road building, upgrade and maintenance programmes and with SANRAL corridor/ SDI development activities

Key theme: "Access-with-safety" – to be realised through rural road transport and road safety forums and the provision of training, skills transfers and SMME empowerment programmes

- Create in 2001; continues through life of strategy

NDoT, national & provincial govt. structures, SANRAL

P

P

P

Speed limit review & modification

Need to continuously alter limits in the light of crash red-spot evidence

National government to apply pressure on PDoTs, local government and SANRAL to ensure that speed limit audits complement hazardous location upgrade programmes

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, PDoTs,

P

P

P

Incident / trauma management systems

Need to continuously upgrade existing systems/procedures

Maintain regular liaison with SANRAL on the development of formalised coordination procedures to link and streamline the actions of traffic officers, SAPS officers, ambulance services and tow-trucks at crash scenes

- Continues through life of the strategy

P

P

P

COMPLIANCE (Enforcement)

Enforcement of road signs compliance

Driver indiscipline

Integrated into Arrive Alive actions

- Continues through life of the strategy

P

P

P

Extended deployment of static & mobile speed cameras

Driver indiscipline

Integrated into Arrive Alive actions

NDoT to encourage provinces and metros to enter into public-private sector partnerships for the supply and maintenance of detection technologies wherever appropriate; RTMC to contract similar services nationally as appropriate

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, PDoTs, private sector

P

P

P

• Enforcement of new alcohol limits as integral part of Arrive Alive actions
• Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, PDoTs

P

P

P

• Further research to be conducted into effective technologies for detection of capacity-inhibiting drug use by drivers, with a view to extended deployment of Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) programme & definition of appropriate sentences

NDoT, CSIR, SANTF, other international partners

P

P

Enforcement of seat-belt usage & moving violations

Driver indiscipline

Integrated into Arrive Alive actions

- Continues through life of the strategy

P

P

P

Multi-purpose road-blocks

Need for more high-profile, visible policing + detection of both vehicle & non-vehicle crime

· To become integrated into Arrive Alive actions

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, PDoTs, DoS&S, SAPS, DoD, SANDF

P

P

P

COMPLIANCE (Education, communication & public participation)

Media and PR campaigns

Need for continuous reinforcement of basic safety information and enforcement messages

Integrated into Arrive Alive communication actions

- Continues through life of the strategy

NDoT, PDoTs, sponsors

P

P

P

COMPLIANCE (Institutional reform / quality assurance)