High festive season statistics indicate the need for pedestrian law enforcement, the Motor Industry Staff Association says.
THE Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) says more should be done to raise awareness of pedestrian safety, and to take action against pedestrians if they break the law.
MISA was speaking after Transport Minister Barbara Creecy announced that 41% of the 1 502 people who died on South African roads during the festive season were pedestrians.
“Our message to pedestrians is clear – if you want to stay alive while using the roads, you must make sure that you:
According to Creecy, 711 184 fines were issued for traffic offences across the country. Of these, 23 607 were for not wearing seatbelts, and 16 925 for using cell phones while driving, while 16 527 vehicles were found to be unroadworthy.
“To clamp down on drunken driving, speeding and other moving violations, our officers arrested more than 9 550 motorists, with 3 840 individuals arrested for drunken driving,” Creecy said.
Martlé Keyter, MISA’s Chief Executive Officer: Operations, said the wet weather and poor visibility on roads during the festive season made it more difficult for motorists to see pedestrians, and that law enforcement on pedestrians appeared to be lacking. Creecy released no statistics in this regard.
Attorney Henry Shields said South African law prevents pedestrians from walking on roads without pavements. Where there is no pavement, pedestrians should walk as close as possible to the edge of the road, while facing oncoming traffic.
Freeways are prohibited to pedestrians and cyclists, and those found breaking the law, including jaywalking and walking while drunk, can be arrested or fined.
However, police have told MISA that law enforcement authorities do not have the manpower to enforce these laws or take preventative action, said Keyter.
“Pedestrians struggle to estimate the speed of approaching vehicles. They don’t think about the possible consequences and don’t respect motorists. They are reckless knowing that there is no law enforcement,” she said.
Keyter also warned of pedestrians jumping in front of cars in peak traffic, hoping to be hit by a slow-moving vehicle. The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has said it would not pay out for any incident where the accident was caused on purpose – but this would only be after a lengthy investigation, and the threat may not deter perpetrators from making the attempt, she said.
Keyter welcomed the RAF's stance, but said the scam still placed motorists at serious risk for physical and emotional harm.
The Independent on Saturday