Holiday-makers are leaving in droves and Joburg is quiet and deserted. Given that I'm one of the few still going into the office, I'm on road a fair bit during this time and what strikes me is lack of visible traffic policing , especially in major interserctions around the city. I can only hope that this is due to most of the traffic police force being disptached to the more busier parts of the Province.
Sadly, the death toll seems to be on the up, with the number of deaths on our roads standing at just over 500 as of this long weekend just passed. At this rate, by 5 Jan 2012 the date the festive season is said to be officially over, the death toll could equal to if not more than the same period last year.
Trucks, taxis and other public transportation vehicles are responsible for a large part of the accidents. So, how about this for a solution, ban these vehicles from all highways during the festive season and only allow them to travel on slower roads, away from highways. During this time it could make sense to also ban motorcyles off higheways, just for good measure. Could this be the answer? Nothingelse has worked so far, so it is worth a try.
Australia has one of the lowest rates of road deaths in the world, at around 8 road deaths per 100,000 people compared to 27 road deaths per 100,000 people in South Africa. Australia must surely be doing something right and whatever it is, we must try and duplicate in South Africa.
Our Politicians must show some will
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