UNIT 7 ROAD SAFETY MANAGEMENT

Introduction

The preceding unit identified transport problems experienced in the rural areas as well
as problems inherent to long-distance transport. Various solution was identified based
on the Rural Strategy of South Africa.

In this unit, the last unit of this module, Road Safety Management will be addressed.
This is a very important section in any urban area and requires some attention.

The following topics will be addressed in unit 7:

Topic 7.1: Introduction and definition of road safety management

Topic 7.2: Major causes of road accidents
Topic 7.3: Negative impacts of road accidents
Topic 7.4 Initiatives to address road safety management
Topic 7.5: Summary

Outcomes that will be covered in this unit

At the end of this unit the student is expected to:
 Define road safety management
 Summarises the various causes of road accidents
 Analyse the negative impacts of road accidents
 Identify and discuss initiatives that are in place to address road safety
management

Unit 6 defined rural transport and described rural transport problems. In this final unit
the topic of road safety management will be unpacked by looking at various aspects
such as the types of accidents as well the major causes for accidents on our roads. The
impact of accidents will be highlighted and the unit will conclude with a brief overview of
initiatives in place to address road safety.

Topic 7.1: Introduction and definition of road safety management

Road safety is a major concern in South Africa as well as in other countries worldwide.
Every year more than one million people are killed and 50 million people are injured on
roads around the world (European Union, 2019).

If no effective actions are taken, deaths due to road accidents in low to middle-income
countries are forecasted to increase significantly in the near future (European Union,
2019).

Road safety management encompass the procedures and actions implemented to

prevent road users from being injured or killed whilst using roads. Road users include
pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, passengers in vehicles and passengers using public
transport such as buses and taxis.
Before unpacking the topic of road safety management further, let us first look at what a
road traffic accident is.

A road traffic accident can be defined as an incident, event, collision or crash between
(Arrive Alive, 2019):

 Two or more vehicles

 A vehicle and a train
 A vehicle and a cyclist
 A vehicle and a pedestrian
 A vehicle and a fixed object, e.g. a bridge or a tree
 A single vehicle that overturned on a public road

An accident is seen as a single road traffic incident, irrespective of the number of

vehicles or individuals involved.

Road traffic accidents can be categorised into four categories, according to the severity
of the accident (Arrive Alive, 2019):

 Fatal accident: An accident that results in the death of one or more persons. The
person killed may be the driver/s of the vehicles, or cyclists or pedestrians. Some
individuals may sustain serious and slight injuries.
 Major accident: An accident where one or more individuals are seriously injured.
 Minor accident: An accident where one or more people are slightly injured.
 Damage only: An accident where no person is killed or injured and it only caused
damage to the vehicle or vehicles or to other property.

When accidents happen there are bound to be casualties or injuries. These can be
classified into three categories (Arrive Alive, 2019) based on severity thereof:

 Fatality: One or more person is killed during or directly after an accident, or death
of a person within six days after the accidents as a result of the accident
 Serious injury: One or more individuals sustained injuries to an extent that
hospitalisation is required. Fractures, crushing, concussion, internal injuries, cuts
and lacerations are all examples of serious injuries and will require medical
treatment or hospitalisation.
 Slight injury: One or more individuals sustained minor cuts and bruises, light
shock and sprains. These injuries are usually treated at the accident scene or at
home with basic medication.

Annual road fatality statistics indicate the need for urgent road safety intervention on
South African roads. Despite a variety of safety campaigns, the situation on the roads
are getting worse

In the section that follows the different types of accidents will be identified.
Topic 7.2: Accident Types

There are various types of motor vehicle accidents and when we look at the types of
accidents different contributing factors should not be ignored, such as the type of
vehicle, the time of day, geographic location as well as the type of roadway. As
highlighted in the previous section, accidents can result in injuries to the driver and/or
passengers.

According to Arrive Alive (2019), accidents are typified and each type of accident can
have contributory factors:

SAME DIRECTION (group of accidents)

 Head-Rear or Rear End collisions

Fifteen percent of same direction accidents are Head-Rear or Rear End collisions. In
these cases the contributory factors include:

 Follow too close

 Dirty, poor or no rear lights on the vehicle
 Poor brakes
 Smooth or damaged tyres

 Right turn Same direction accidents

Right turn – same direction accidents contribute to 0.8% of all accidents on the road.
Contributory factors are:

 Turning in front of oncoming traffic

 Entering main road without giving way or stopping
 Inconsiderate driving behaviour
 No indicator lights

 Left turn – same direction

In 0.4% of accidents, it is left turn – same direction accidents and the factors that
contribute to this comprise:

 Turning in front of other traffic

 Failing to indicate lane change
 Change of direction
 Inconsiderate driving behaviour

 Side swipe – overtaking

Five percent of accidents happen due to overtaking. Contributing factors in this case
include factors such as:

 Unsafe overtaking
 Swerving in front of other traffic
 Failing to indicate lane change
 Inconsiderate driving behaviour

OPPOSITE DIRECTION (group of accidents)

 Head-on collision

Head-on collisions comprise 3% of accidents taking place on our roads and the
following factors contribute to this type of accident:
  Unsafe overtaking
 Overtaking across barrier lines
 Poor visibility
 Reckless and inconsiderate driving

 Side swipe – opposing direction

These type of accidents cover 5% of accidents that happen. Factors that contribute to
side swipe – opposing direction accidents consist of:

 Unsafe overtaking
 Overtaking across barrier lines
 Veering into the opposing lane
 Poor visibility

 Right turn – opposing direction

Contributing factors in this type of accidents include the following:

 Turing in front of oncoming traffic

 Failing to switch headlights on
 Failing to stop at traffic control, e.g. traffic light, stop sign or traffic officer

RIGHT ANGLE (group of accidents)

 Right angle - both straight

Right angle – both straight accidents contribute 6% to the total number of accidents that
happen on the roads. Contributing factors in this type of accidents are:

 Failing to stop at traffic control such as traffic light, stop or yield sign or traffic
officers
 Traffic lights not working
 Missing sings (e.g. stop or yield)

 Right angle – one turn

This type of accident comprises 2% of the total number of accidents that happen.
Various factors contribute to this and it can include amongst other:

 Failing to stop at traffic control such as traffic light, stop or yield sign and traffic
officers
 Traffic lights not working
 Stop or yield signs missing
 Poor brakes

REVERSING AND PARKING (group of accidents)

 Reversing

Accidents don’t always happen on the road. It can happen anywhere, e.g. parking areas
and in the driveway to your home. Reversing constitute 0.7% of accidents that are
reported and the factors that contribute to this include:
  Inconsiderate, unlawful and negligent driving behaviour
 Poor brakes

 Parked Vehicle

In some cases, accidents happen when one of the vehicles involved are not even
moving. Parked vehicle accidents make up 0.5% of accidents. Factors that play a
contributory role include:

 Inconsiderate and negligent driving behaviour

PEDESTRIAN, BICYCLE, ANIMAL, VEHICLE OVERTURNING AND FIXED OBJECT

(group of accidents)

 Vehicle and pedestrian, Bicycle or pedestrian

Accidents involving vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles and whatever way contribute to
31% of accidents that take place. A great nubmer of factors play a contributing role in
these:

 Pedestrians jay-walking
 Intoxicated pedesrian
 Vehicle speed
 Poor street lighting and visibility
 Inadequate pedestrian and cyclist facililties
 Bicycles without lights

 Single vehicle overturned

Accidents can happen even if there is just one vehicle involed and various factors can
contribute to these type of accidents:

 Speef too high for the circumstances

 Driver fatigue
 Poor visibility
 Tyre burst
 Swerving to avoid accident

 Single vehcile – Fixed object

An accident can also be caused when a single vehicle crashes into a fixed object, e.g. a
tree. These type of accidents contribute to about 6% of all accidents and the following
factors play a role:
 Speed is too high for the circumstances
 Poor steering
 Poor brakes
 Fatigue and falling asleep while driving
 Poor visibility
 Swerving to avoid an accident
Individuals not wearing seatbelts increase the risk of serious injury or even death by
between 40% and 50% (Arrive Alive, 2019) in the case of an accident. A significant
number of road accidents in South Africa happen as a consequence of a traffic offence.
Major contributing factors in road accidents usually relate to human activities such as
not adhering to traffic rules and regulations, aggressive, reckless and negligent driving
behaviour, failing to stop at traffic signals, unsafe overtaking as well as unsuitable
speed for circumstances (Arrive Alive, 2019). Driving under the influence of alcohol and
drugs have also been identified as significant contributing factors to road traffic
accidents (Arrive Alive, 2019).
The general condition of vehicles can also contribute considerably to the occurrence of
road accidents. Features such as smooth tyres, defective brakes, faulty lights, steering
and suspension of the vehicle should be attended to in order to ensure the vehicle is in
a road worthy condition (Arrive Alive, 2019).
The smallest contributing factor to road accidents according to Arrive Alive (2019) is
environmental factors which include poor road conditions and signposting, poor fencing
(allowing animals on the road) as well as poor visibility.

Topic 7.3: Major causes of road accidents

The statistics on road accidents in South Africa are shocking and unfortunately citizens
are not sensitised enough on the matter. Despite various campaigns from government
and other organisations the number of accidents do not seem to decrease.

Research conducted by the Automobile Association (AA) (2019) identified a number of

major causes of road accidents in South Africa. These causes will now be discussed.

 Driver Behaviour

Disobeying of traffic laws are a big problem and many drivers are guilty of this.
Speeding is another major problem on the roads in South Africa as many drivers seem
to blatantly ignore speed limits on the roads.

Drinking and driving or drinking and walking is another transgression of many road
users. Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs and even some types of medication
is not allowed.

A driving behaviour that needs to change sooner rather than later is being distracted
while driving. Various activities can distract a driver whilst driving and these include
talking or texting on a cell phone, putting in make-up as well as eating and drinking. If
anything prevents you as driver from having both hands on the steering wheel it should
preferably not be done while driving.

Everyone driving a car should try to be a better and more in control driver.

 Unroadworhty vehicles

There are just too many unroadworhty and unsafe motor vehicles on the road every
day. Unroadworhty vehicles need to be removed from the roads and many motorists are
of the opinion that this will reduce road traffic accidents. It remains the responsibility of
the motor vehicle owner to ensure that the vehicle is in good working condition and
roadworthy. A vehicle is deemed roadworthy if (AA, 2019):

o The body of the vehicle is rust free and without damage

o Doors can open easily from the outside as well as the inside
o There are no cracks on the windscreen and all the windows can open and
close with ease
 o All lights and indicators are in working condition
o Tyres and wheels are the correct size and according to specification from
the manufacturer
o The tread on all tyres are at least 1.6mm deep
o Brakes are in good working order
o Shock absorbers are not worn out
o The exhaust is undamaged and there is no visible smoke emission
o The battery is properly secured
o The hooter, odometer and speedometer are in working order
o All seatbelts are in working condition

 Pedestrian safety

More than a third of the fatalities on the roads in South Africa are pedestrians (AA,
2019). Many pedestrians are drunk, reckless and lawless and they do not obey traffic
laws. They also have no respect for motorists and run across roads and highways
where ever they feel like doing so. This is very dangerous and it exposes them to
potential accidents.

On the other drivers of vehicles are often guilty of not focusing on the road and the lack
of respect by both pedestrians and motorists end up in an accident.

Visibility is seen as an important feature when considering pedestrian safety and

various initiatives are in place to encourage and improve this.

 Education

It is important that all current and future pedestrians and motorists are educated about
road safety and traffic laws. The younger they are when educated about this, the better.
The best place where this can be done is at home so it is important for parents to set a
good example. This can be done form a young age and parents should teach their
children to look left and right before crossing a road. It is also important to teach them to
only cross a road at a designated area.

It is important to learn to respect other road users and to always be considerate,

courteous and patient.

This section has identified the major causes of road accidents. Before moving to the
next section it will be worthwhile to consider the tips given to the road users by the AA
(2019) to ensure everyone is safe while using the roads and their vehicles:

o Always wear a seatbelt and make sure all the passengers in the vehicle
do the same
o Children should travel in proper child restraint seats
o Check the tyres of the vehicle to ensure good condition
o Get enough rest before leaving on a long trip
o Rest every 200 kilometres or two hours
 o Don’t speed
o Be sober when driving
o As pedestrian ensure that you are visible and only cross roads at the
designated areas
o Pay attention while driving
o Be courteous to other road users

Now that the various causes of accidents have been identified is necessary to unpack
the impacts of road accidents.

Topic 7.4: Negative impacts of road accidents

Road accidents can have various impacts. Physical injury is ever so often the most
evident consequence. However, recovering from physical injuries are only one of the
aspects to deal with after an accident. Other latent consequence can affect you as a
result of a road accident. This section will specifically deal with the consequences
beyond physical injury (Lawfirms, 2019).

 Financial setbacks

Car accidents typically have financial repercussions. If your car was damaged it may
need to be prepared or even worse be replaced. If you do not have insurance this can
be very costly. There can also be medical bills if you were injured in the accident.
Expenses like this can add up and put immense pressure on you.

 Inability to work

After an accident you may be injured and as a result you may not be able to go back to
work immediately. This may result in no income or salary for a period of time. Not
earning an income may increase stress because you will not be able to address your
financial responsibilities. It can also cause frustration because you are not being
productive.

 Lack of transportation

If your vehicle was damaged due to the accident and is being repaired, you may find
yourself without transportation for that time period. Completing basic activities such as
grocery shopping and taking kids to school can be daunting. Your employment cab be
at stake if you are not able to get to the office. If you have to make alternative
arrangements this incur additional costs e.g. uber or car rental.

 Insurance premium increase

If you have motor vehicle insurance, there is a possibility that your insurance company
will increase your monthly premiums even if the accident was not your fault. When this
happens, your financial burden may become even bigger and in some instances
insurance may become unaffordable.
  Emotional suffering

Finally, emotional suffering and pain come with being in an accident. Even more so
when you are injured in an accident. When you have suffered physical injuries you may
feel upset because you cannot go about your daily life as you used to. Emotional
trauma after an accident can have extensive effects, such as post-traumatic stress
disorder. This may make it difficult for you drive again as may become anxious.

The final section of this unit will focus on various initiatives to address road safety.

Topic 7.5 Initiatives to address road safety management

In the past ten years almost 135 000 people died in road accidents in South Africa (AA,
2019). This number is alarming and urgent intervention of some sort is required
otherwise the death toll on the roads will not decrease. Several key plans need to be
implemented and various issues should be addressed. These include (AA, 2019):

 Creating a safe environment for pedestrian to commute

 Nationwide pedestrian education campaigns
 Increased reliable safe public transport
 Introducing crash avoidance technology in vehicles
 Ensuring safety of fleet vehicles and delivery vehicles
 Ongoing road safety education

All road users should realise that the government can only do so much to improve road
safety and reduce the number of road accidents. Users should take some responsibility
as well. Unfortunately, many citizens in South Africa have an adverse attitude towards
road safety and traffic laws. Without an adjustment of attitude efforts to decrease the
number of road accidents will not be successful.

7.5.1 National Road Safety Strategy 2016 - 2030

Road safety has become a global subject that is identified as one of the most
demanding matters facing society today. South Africa previously implemented a number
of strategies and campaigns, with varying degrees of success to reduce fatalities
(NRSS, 2019). The objective of the National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS) is to create a
safe road environment for all users with a substantial decrease in the number of injuries
and fatalities caused by road accidents.

The NRSS is part of government’s determination to ensure a safer, better and secure
life for all and has an emphasis on intensifying law enforcement.

The National Road Safety Strategy is underpinned by a set of principles that have been
recognised as critical to decrease the rate of road accidents and fatalities on South
African roads (NRSS, 2019) and these are:

 Role of government through its various departments and agencies

Road safety is seen as everyone’s responsibility but the Department of Transport need
to take the lead in the effort to make roads safer.

 Horizontal integration

Activities and programmes of other areas of government (e.g. education, health, social
development, etc.) have a bearing on the level of safety on the roads in South Africa,
either directly or indirectly.

 Inter-sphere coordination

Road safety is a shared function that involves national, provincial and local (municipal)
governments and this inter-sphere cooperation is the cornerstone of a successful road
safety strategy

 Stakeholder participation

Views of the public and all other stakeholders should be sought during the development
and implementation phase of the strategy

 Planning and resourcing

Adequate allocation of resources as well as good organisation and planning lead to a

successful strategy

 Compliance and enforcement

It is important to promote compliance with current policy and legislation but law
enforcement should also be improved to address road users who do not adhere to
legislation.

 Realistic targets

The NRSS sets out an ambitious but reasonable target of lowering the road death toll by
50% from 2010 (baseline) to 2030.

 Accountability

The lack of effective execution and implementation has limited the success of previous
road safety strategies. To ensure this does not happen again, roles and responsibilities
of stakeholders will be clearly defined, assigned and communicated.

The strategic objectives contained in the NRSS (2019) is summarised as follow:

 Road safety management

 Safer roads and mobility
 Safer vehicles
  Safer road users
 Post-accident response

The process of implementing the Road Safety Strategy must be tracked and the
progress monitored and evaluated in order to ensure delivery in accordance with
scheduled timeframes. Any necessary changes or amendments to the strategy must
come into effect within a time period as specified in the strategy in an effort to guarantee
that deviations do not delay the strategic objectives and targets unnecessarily (NRSS,
2019).

7.5.2 Arrive Alive Campaign

The Arrive Alive Road Safety Campaign was initiated in 1997 with the aim of reducing
the killing on South African roads. Ever since it has become an essential part of the
Department of Transport’s road safety projects and awareness efforts especially during
the busy Easter and December holiday periods (Arrive Alive, 2019).

Currently the safety campaign is operating under the banner “365 Days of Road Safety
Programme”. The focus now is to create awareness all year round and not just during
certain periods. The objectives of this campaign is to (Arrive Alive, 2019):

 Reduce the number of road traffic accidents in general, and fatalities specifically
by 5% (compared with the same period of the previous year)
 Improve road user compliance with traffic laws
 Establish better working relationships between traffic authorities in the different
domains of government

According to this campaign a reduction in road deaths are urgent and not negotiable!

Topic 7.6: Summary

This unit started off with an explanation of road safety and the need for road safety
management. Road traffic accidents were defined and classified where after the
different types of road accidents were examined. The major causes of road accidents in
South Africa were highlighted. Second to last the negative impacts of road accidents
were emphasized and lastly the various initiatives to address road safety were
identified.
REFERENCES:

 Arrive Alive. Vision of Arrive Alive. Available online

https://www.arrivealive.co.za/Vision-Of-Arrive-Alive [Accessed 30 September
2019]

 Automobile Association. South Africa’s road safety crisis: What is the answer?
Available online https://www.aa.co.za/insights/south-africas-road-safety-crisis-
what-is-the-answer [Accessed 1 October 2019]

 Automobile Association. 134 000 road deaths over ten years unacceptable.
Available online https://www.aa.co.za/insights/134-000-road -deaths-over-ten-
yearsunacceptable [Accessed 1 October 2019]

 European Commission. Road Safety Management system. Available online

https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/specialist/knowledge/rsm/overview
[Accessed 2 October 2019]

 Lawfirms. 5 Consequences of car accidents beyond injury. Available online.

https://www.lawfirms.com/resources/auto-accident/5-consequences-car-
accidents-beyond-injury [Accessed 30 September 2019]