During this Transport Month, authorities are reminding drivers and pedestrians to be careful on the roads. October is marked as Transport Month in the country. Every year in October, the Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW) Road Safety Management aims to reduce the amount of people injured and killed on the Western Cape’s roads through road safety awareness and education campaigns and programmes.
The DTPW said last Wednesday and Friday in Khayelitsha that it was important that everyone be vigilant and abide by the rules on the roads, be it a driver, pedestrian or commuter.
On Wednesday, October 14, Road Safety Management in partnership with City of Cape Town Traffic Services conducted a driver, passenger pedestrian awareness at Site C Taxi Rank. Drivers, taxi owners and pedestrians were engaged on road safety issues
Al-Ameen Kafaar of Transport and Public Works, Road Safety Management said the intervention was one of the Road Safety Management interventions that have been identified for Transport Month 2020.
He said the main aim of the day’s intervention was to engage with the taxi drivers, passengers and pedestrians on road safety issues.
“”The event gave the government the opportunity to educate drivers and the public about road safety, particularly pedestrian deaths. About 60 percent of people who died in road crashes from 1 January 2020 until 30 September 2020 were pedestrians,” he said.
He said his department aims to reduce the amount of people injured and killed on the Western Cape’s roads through road safety awareness and education campaigns and programmes.
The DTPW members and officials interacted with commuters and drivers, particularly taxi drivers, and asked questions around the laws and rules of the roads. Drivers seemed on point, adhering to the rules with masks, were on par with the members of the department in terms of safety rules.
They seemed to know what was expected of them.
Driver Peter Gawula said it was always important for the drivers to wear their seatbelts for them to be safe. He warned those who don’t wear them to know that they are risking their own health.
“The belt might help you in an accident. It keeps you tight so that you do not go through the window. We need to abide all times under any circumstances,” he said.
His colleague Anga Ventfolo criticised the use of mobile phones while driving.
He said cellphones can be destructive and cause accidents on the road. Mr Ventfolo urged other drivers not to use them while behind the wheel.
“One might lose concentration and cause freaky accidents. Cellphones are a no-no on the roads,” he said.
Drinking and driving was also criticised by Sibusiso Sixishe. He said for the safety of everyone, the authorities should be serious in jailing those who are driving drunk.
He said alcohol was the biggest problem for drivers and the authorities should not smile with drunk and driving individuals.
The Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations spokesperson, Besuthu Ndungane, welcomed the initiative.
Mr Ndungane requested that similar interventions be held at other taxi ranks in the metro.
