Cape Town Traffic Police

Thursday, January 2, 2014

December road deaths may be highest since 2007

Sapa | 02 January, 2014 14:35

File photo.
Image by: Gallo Images/Thinkstock

The number of road deaths between December 1 and 30 last year would likely be the highest recorded since 2007, an advanced driving skills company said.

A total of 1184 deaths took place over this period, or 39.5 deaths per day, www.driving.co.za managing director Rob Handfield-Jones said in a statement.

"This exceeds the record figure of 38 per day for the 2012 festive season. The Christmas period for 2013/2014 will end on January 13, by which time I expect the death toll to be approximately 1736 deaths based on past and current trends."

Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokeswoman Thato Mosena said Handfield-Jones should not create the impression the corporation was not doing enough, as road safety was a collective effort.

"We need all role players to join hands to reduce road deaths. We have an international commitment to reduce road deaths through the 2011 United Nations strategy of action," she said.

"This is a collective effort."

Handfield-Jones, who has monitored road deaths during the Christmas and Easter periods since 2007, believed the current figure could rise between 15 and 20 percent after the 30-day waiting period for road deaths had lapsed.

This meant the 2013/2014 festive season could become the first with over 2000 road deaths.

The main reason for road deaths increasing over the festive season was the failure of government to provide road safety leadership, he said.

According to the transport department and RTMC, the preliminary road deaths for previous years were:

December 2007: 1142 people killed (the final figure was 1535);
December 2008: 937 people;
December 2009: 1050 people;
December 2010: 1358 people;
December 2011: 1232 people; and
December 2012: 1279 people.

The figures for all the years except 2010 were for the month of December. The 2010 figure included deaths up to and including January 4.

The final death toll figures for the Decembers since 2007 had been higher than the preliminary figure.

"People only drive as badly as their governments allow them to," Handfield-Jones said.

"In countries like the USA and United Kingdom it is socially unacceptable to be a bad driver. Government road safety systems in those countries are aimed at improving competence."

South Africa, he believed, was the opposite.

"The RTMC showed a brief flash of intent while Gilberto Martins was acting CEO, but has since gone silent," Handfield-Jones said.

"Licensing is a corrupt mess, with probably half of all licences being issued fraudulently."

This created a culture of bribery among drivers who did not recognise the fatal consequences of illegally getting a licence.

To fix the problem, Handfield-Jones believed government needed to fix the poor gathering of road safety data, overhaul the licensing system, and prioritise law enforcement for moving violations.

"As long as the key priority of law enforcers is revenue generation rather than safety, South Africa's road deaths will continue to mount," he said.

Mosena said road safety began at a community level.

"We can't do it alone. We need to start at a community level to spread and enforce the message that road safety is a priority and we must reduce road deaths.

"We are concerned as the RTMC that there are some among us who are responsible for road deaths, and the reduction in road deaths is an urgent non-negotiable call."

Friday, December 27, 2013

Cape cops nab drunks by the dozen

December 24 2013
By Zara Nicholson

IOL mot pic dec24 Breathalyser Test

INLSA

Breathalysers were working ovetime as Cape Town roadblocks resulted in 114 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol in one weekend. Photo: Matthew Jordaan

Victim De Lille warns other motorists

December 27 2013
By Jade Otto

Copy of ca p11 Vanguard Drive DON

inlsa

Mayor Patricia de Lille is the latest victim of a smash and grab at the notorious Vanguard Drive intersection. Photo: Mxolisi Madela

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Hundreds dead but traffic peak only expected in next few days

Sapa | 22 December, 2013 13:19

File photo.
Image by: LULAMILE FENI © Daily Dispatch

A traffic peak is expected on major routes just before Christmas, as people head to their holiday destinations, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said on Sunday.

No major accidents had been reported by Sunday, and traffic volumes were still normal, but major delays were expected on Monday and Tuesday, said Thato Mosena.

More than 600 lives have been lost in over 600 road accidents in December, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said on Friday.

Traffic volumes were expected to increase again next Tuesday, just before New Year, and again on January 5 and 6, when people were expected to return from their holidays.

Mosena said a high traffic volumes were experienced when 1000 to 2000 or more vehicles an hour were travelling on a route.

She said more than 2000 vehicles an hour were expected during peak holiday times.

The N1 north between Pretoria, Polokwane and the Beit Bridge border post was expected to be busy, as was the N2 to and from Somerset West and Cape Town.

A lot of traffic coming into Durban from Johannesburg was expected on the N3.

High volumes of vehicles travelling on routes between Mangaung and Cape Town and between Pretoria, Nelspruit and Lebombo were also expected. N3 Toll Concession spokeswoman Andy Visser said on Sunday morning that about 1000 vehicles an hour had been heading out of Gauteng at the tollgates.

About the same number of vehicles was heading out of KwaZulu-Natal, but more, at 1100, were entering the province.

Limpopo roads and transport spokesman Jimmy Machaka said five people had died in accidents in the province since Friday night.

This brought to 39 the death toll since the start of the month. There had been 178 accidents since then.

He said two of the people who died at the weekend were drivers and two were pedestrians. Details of the fifth death, which occurred after midnight in Polokwane, were still being compiled.

He said a traffic official was seriously injured when he was hit by a car a car while conducting a road block in Groblersdal.

Machaka said that many of the accidents were caused by speeding and overtaking in reckless situations.

He urged pedestrians to wear clothing which made then visible to drivers while walking at night.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Bikers beat last year’s best despite all the ‘red tape’

25 Nov 2013
Cape Argus
Chelsea Geach CADET NEWS AGENCY chelsea.geach@inl.co.za
From page 1 BIKERS and teddy bears zoomed through the city in their thousands yesterday on the annual Toy Run for children’s charities.

But the 8 000 motorcyclists who rode down to Maynardville Park in Wynberg were in for a big surprise.

Strict security at the beer tent caused the crowd to dry up hours before usual, and organisers had to scramble for water, electricity and toilets at the last minute as the council facilities were out of order.

“The red tape is strangling this event,” said Toy Run vice-chairwoman Glynis Coetzee, who has organised it for 12 years. “It’s getting harder and harder to hold this event because of overzealous regulations.”

Coetzee said the toys and funds generated by the run benefited50 000 children in 300 charities across the Cape.

Coetzee said her team was granted access to the Maynardville Park late on Friday, only to find the water, electricity and toilets were not working: “The charity then has to go to the expense to make up for poor services.”

Parents had to abandon either their beer or their children as no alcohol was allowed outside the small beer tent enclosure, and no under-18s were allowed inside.

Paul Hendricks, who has done the run since 1981, said there were no rides or waterslides to keep children occupied. While a band played to an empty arena, parents smuggled their young children over the fence of the beer garden.

Sizing up the trucks full of toys, Coetzee said it looked as if yesterday’s haul had beaten last year’s best of 34 000.

The city was asked for comment yesterday and said it was only likely comment on the matter today.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

MOTORISTS DRIVE SCOT-FREE

8 Nov 2013
Cape Argus
Anél Lewis METRO WRITER anel.lewis@inl.co.za

Thousands of arrest warrants ‘going stale’ because they are not being signed off

From page 1 ABOUT 44 000 motorists are driving “scot-free” because the courts have only been able to deal with about 500 cases this year, says the City of Cape Town.

PICTURE: ROSS JANSENCAUGHT Officer John Bezuidenhout, fines a driver for crossing a solid line

JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, said: “It’s an absolute crisis. These are large fines and motorists are told to appear in court but they can’t because of the backlog.”

He said thousands of arrest warrants, worth about R300 million, were “going stale” because they were not being signed off by magistrates.

There were currently about 430 000 warrants of arrest of which only 207 000 had been signed and received.

The city is so concerned about the court backlog that it is in talks with the Department of Justice and the provincial government about appointing additional magistrates to hear the cases and work through the backlog - and has offered to pay for them from the city’s coffers.

Smith blamed new national regulations, that called for all motorists who exceeded the speed limit by 30km or more to appear in court, for adding to the crisis.

“Unfortunately this has had a huge impact on our courts as a large percentage of cases need to go to court.”

To deal with this, the city had already employed extra prosecutors and administrative staff from its legal services directorate, said Smith. “Now we are waiting for the magistrates.” Negotiations with the Department of Justice were “slow”, the city said.

A report on traffic fines submitted yesterday to the safety and security portfolio committee, said the city can only take strong action against an offender when a warrant of arrest has been issued.

Traffic chief Heathcliff Thomas said: “Unfortunately the motoring public don’t treat fines with importance but with complete contempt because there are no consequences.”

Marius van Tonder, of safety and security, said: “A warrant of arrest is the last step in a long process where the offender chooses to ignore the fine notices and reminders set, as well as a summons to appear in court which is personally served.”

It is also one of several reasons why the city’s income from traffic fines has dropped by a third, from R143 040 297 in the 2011/2012 financial year to R99 381 526 for 2012/2013.

Van Tonder said there was a “worsening culture” of non-payment.

Other reasons for the sharp decline included the use of visible traffic officers rather than camera fines and technical problems with a new system which delayed the sending out of fine notices and printing of summonses.

He said the substantial reduction and withdrawal of fines by court officials had cost the city nearly R10m in lost revenue. Of the 118 000 presentations to the court about fines, 25 000 were withdrawn.

Van Tonder said the department was also hamstrung by the “poor accuracy” of address data on the eNatis system, which made it difficult to post fines and contact offenders.

Smith is working with Transport MEC Robin Carlisle on new legislation that would “close the loopholes” that help motorists dodge their fines.

He said motorists would soon have to provide Fica-style proof of address when registering their vehicles, to deter them from giving false details.

Officials would soon be able to impound the vehicles of motorists with outstanding fines, and there would be greater visibility with the introduction of traffic reservists.

Meanwhile the city is starting to see the results of its “admin mark”, introduced in March 2013 to penalise errant offenders.

With the admin mark, a motorist with an outstanding warrant of arrest will have a block placed in his account, meaning he won’t be able to renew his car licence, or do any transaction that involves the eNatis system anywhere in the country.

Since the introduction of the admin mark, the income from postal payments from traffic fines at Gallows Hill has increased from R300 000 a month to R1.8 million. “As a direct result, the income at that office has quadrupled,” said Thomas.

Smith said: “There is no lack of access to places of payment. If you are not paying it is because you can’t be bothered.”

Operation Reclaim, which targets motorists with outstanding warrants of arrest, has led to the arrest of more than 16 000 people between June and October.

Smith said the city had recorded nearly a half a million traffic offences in the months between July and September, and made more than 18 500 arrests. Most of these offences – more than 257 000 – were for speeding.

Others areas of concern include the high number of unlicensed drivers and vehicles on the road, and the number of people caught driving without wearing seatbelts.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

COSTLY FALLOUT OF CRASH CHAOS ON N1

Driver remains unconscious

THE CRASH on the N1 that brought Cape Town to a standstill last week is estimated to have cost commuters as much as R36 million as they were forced to wait in gridlocked traffic – missing flights, meetings and appointments.

PICTURE: JASON BOUDROAD CLOSED A truck lost a 12-ton barge when it struck a bridge on the N1 outbound near Paarden Eiland last Tuesday. The barge landed on a Nissan bakkie, which was behind the truck

During a debriefing on the incident at the Traffic Management Centre in Goodwood yesterday, incident co-ordinator Dale Hillebrand reconstructed the minutes after a 12- ton barge fell off a truck and crushed a bakkie on Table Bay Boulevard last Tuesday.

The driver of the bakkie, Scott Gonzalez, 51, is still unconscious in Groote Schuur Hospital.

A hospital spokesman said his condition was stable.

Hillebrand said the heavy load slid off the back of the truck at 2.28pm after clipping a section of the Lower Church Street bridge over the N1.

The freeway’s five outbound lanes were quickly closed off and authorities began diverting rush-hour traffic exiting the CBD.

As rescue personnel tried to free Gonzalez from his vehicle, commuters found themselves stuck in standstill traffic in some cases for hours as they sought alternative routes out of the city.

The N1 was closed for three hours.

Hillebrand insisted authorities had dealt with the situation quickly and efficiently, but he did not downplay the impact the crash had on Cape Town’s transport infrastructure.

“As a rule of thumb, we can work out that the accident cost commuters between R10m to R1m an hour.”

He said the crash had caused “chaos” in the city, with normal traffic flow resuming only four hours later.

Hillebrand said all five lanes were closed to create space for the cranes to lift the barge from the bakkie.

The city’s mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith, said the crash and clearing of the wreckage will cost the council R30 000.

“In total, the direct charges – for the damage to bridge and calling out EMS personnel – will amount to R100 000.”

Smith said the truck company, Crescendo Trucking, of Saldanha, would have to foot the bill because the driver had been travelling in contravention of his permit.

“It was an inexperienced driver, who did not know what he was doing. He should not have been on that route.”

In the end, it was just a 10cm difference that plunged the city into chaos, as the height of the truck’s load exceeded that of the bridge.

But despite widespread criticism of how the city handled the crash, Smith said he was happy with how emergency services and authorities had reacted.

“I don’t think it could have been any quicker,” he said.

However, the city was looking at a range of possible improvements in its handling of big collisions.

These would include the provision of more traffic cones for officials, public education on alternate routes, using variable message signs to give better guidance on alternative routes and accidents; and the acquisition of an additional heavy tow-truck.

“I have told all those involved in the operation give it a rating out of 10. I would suggest an eight or a nine,” said Smith.