October Transport Month launched
The Minister of Transport, Mr Fikile Mbalula, launched the October Transport Month on the 3rd of October 2022. “The month of October is designated as Transport Month, during which we reflect on our progress as a sector and the contributions we have made to the realisation of a better living for all. We accomplish this by demonstrating the real projects we have completed, such as rail manufacturing, integrated public transportation networks, and infrastructure.”
Every year in October, the Department of Transport (DoT) observes Transport Month to raise awareness of road safety among South Africans and to honour the vital role that transportation has played in reshaping the economy by providing effective, dependable, and secure public transportation.
The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety global campaign is in line with a 365-day road safety programme that the DoT has implemented. The ambitious goal of the United Nations Decade of Action 2021–2030 (formerly 2011–2020) is to prevent at least 50% of traffic-related fatalities and injuries by 2030.
The road safety campaign focuses on the following five pillars:
Pillar 1: Road Safety Management
Pillar 2: Safer Roads
Pillar 3: Safer Vehicles
Pillar 4: Safer Road Users
Pillar 5: Post-Crash Care
Source: WHO, 2022
Through aggressive law enforcement initiatives, the DoT seeks to lower the high number of road-related accidents and fatalities.
Alcohol abuse by both drivers and pedestrians, excessive speed in some situations that results in loss of control or the inability to escape risks, and other variables all contribute to these fatalities. Other factors such as not wearing a seatbelt or using a cell phone while driving; unsafe passing at the barrier line or when facing oncoming traffic, defective tyres and steering (particularly on vehicles used for public transportation and freight transportation), fatigue, lack of rest following a 200 km drive and an overnight drive are contributors.
