South African car and truck drivers have a death wish. The annual death toll makes for horrific reading. The wanton speeding on our roads, not to speak of peak hours, demands government intervention at the highest levels. The regular carnage and announcements by traffic reports before one even gets into the car to go to work, is enough to put one off driving for the rest of one's life.
Having moved offices from Cape Town to Bellville, I run the gauntlet of the cargo-laden truckers on the N1 daily, who vicariously switch lanes as though the road belongs to them. Invariably there will be a warning on the radio of an accident or truck breakdown here or there (often the usual spots) or near the notorious Jip De Jager or Durban Road off ramp, which I have traversed since 1 August. Everyday, as I weave my way to Jip De Jager, I silently sing "nearer my God to Thee" knowing that one survives this mayhem by the grace of God!
And so when I read about the Alberton multiple truck and car accident that happened on the 16th October on the N12 East in Gauteng, I was not the least surprised, except by the horror of it all. Four people dead and over fifty people injured, some critically, the carnage caused by break failure, could have been averted had that truck undergone the required road-worthy assessment. Isaac Maruding, the driver, has serious previous convictions.
He was obviously released on good behaviour previously, but the man, in SA's sea of unemployment, needs a job and has the experience his employer needs, regardless of his track record. He he drove one of the 270 000 truck belonging to the small entrepreneurs, many of which are the culprits for the many truck accidents on our roads.
Patrick O'Leary, the Fleetwatch Editor, reports that out of a sample of 530 trucks assessed by his organisation, 70% failed roadworthy tests. In response to the Alberton bloodbath the Ekhuruleni Mayor rather lamely said: "I sincerely hope that the trucking companies will accept our gesture of free assessment for their vehicles with the mass of 3500kg and above. This is our attempt to minimise accidents like the one we are still trying to recover from which happened in Alberton on Tuesday."
Mr Mayor, how about enforcing this offer? As a nation still reeling from the shock of the Alberton accident, we were confronted by another accident competing for headlines on the 18th October: "One killed, 14 injured in Golden Highway crash." Two cars collided head on and of course a minibus tax was also involved allegedly having overturned several times before it landed on its wheels.
Four children below the age of five were critically injured. One only needs to see minibus taxis on Cape Town's main road every morning, breaking every rule of the road, jumping traffic lights, overtaking on the left and right - with no traffic police in sight - to know how irresponsible government is about enforcing traffic laws.
The "explosion" of heavy vehicles on our freeways occurs precisely because Transnet lacks the capacity to transport cargo across the country. For this national fiasco, we have Maria Ramos to thank. Under her leadership Transnet underwent radical restructuring, but it failed to reduce costs as reported by the media: "to regain cargo lost to the overburdened road network.
Its rail infrastructure is outdated, rolling stock use has been stretched beyond its lifespan..." "It has faced a barrage of criticism from companies that rely on rail to move bulk goods... The average age of Transnet Freight Rail's fleet is 37 years. Just 11% of SA's inland freight is moved by rail, against 89% by road..."
This article first appeared in Die Burger.
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