Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga launches the Easter road safety campaign at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville. Picture: Supplied
Pretoria - Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has implored traffic law-enforcement to root out human factors which contribute 85% to crashes in the run-up to the Easter long weekend.
Chikunga was in Atteridgeville when she gave instructions to officials to start immediately to prevent problematic deaths that leave many families without parents and breadwinners every year around this time.
She delivered similar encouragement to a group of new traffic police graduates at a pass-out parade at Lucas Moripe Stadium in the Pretoria West township. She said she was proud because the new recruits represented more “boots on the ground” and a new era in traffic policing.
Chikunga said the celebration of the pass-out of the first cohort of graduates with a National Qualification Framework Level 6 qualification created a career path for the young men and women to lead a new generation of traffic officers. Addressing graduates, she said: “As you join the public service as patriotic South African public servants, you are expected to be conscious of your critical role in upholding the rule of law. You must personify the Batho Pele principles by being ethical, fair, selfless and most of all, patriotic in carrying out your daily duties.”
She added: “The timing of this pass-out only a few days before the start of the Easter long weekend could not have been more opportune. It sends a positive signal that we are ready to raise the bar in our efforts to arrest the scourge of crashes, injuries and fatalities on our roads and deal with the conduct of those who believe they will unleash lawlessness with impunity. That ship has long left the port and they will be caught.
“Traffic officers play a pivotal role in enforcing the law on our roads, but law-enforcement on its own cannot make our roads safe. Road safety ... requires all of us to play our part in appreciating that the road is a shared space and take responsibility for our actions. Road users have a duty to observe the rules of the road and respect the rights of others who have as much right to use the road, be they pedestrians, cyclists, motorists or motorcyclists. This is a duty law-enforcement officers will enforce without fear or favour.
“The department has chosen #Zithibe, meaning Resist the Temptation, as the theme for the 2023 Easter Arrive Alive campaign. This is a clarion call to all road users to restrain themselves and resist the temptation to engage in reckless behaviour on the road.
“It is, equally, a call for motorists to resist the temptation to drive at excessive speed, drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs or use cellphones or other electronic devices while driving.
“For pedestrians this is a call to resist the temptation to cross the road when it is not safe to do so and avoid hitch-hiking on busy arterial routes during peak travel periods.
“It is also a call to the traffic officers to resist the temptation to take bribes and allow offenders and those driving unroadworthy vehicles to go unpunished ...”
Pretoria News