The Department of Transport (DoT) and municipal traffic authorities are rolling out stricter policing campaigns in an effort to crack down on unroadworthy vehicles in South Africa.
This includes a larger police presence with more frequent roadblocks and harsher traffic law enforcement, going as far as to impound cars if they display certain defects.
What you should know
South Africa has long had a problem with old and unsafe vehicles, as the average model out on the roads is estimated to be around 11.8 years old.
These vehicles present an immediate danger to both the occupants and to other motorists, as they have severe mechanical faults that make them unresponsive, leading to an accident.
Several municipalities are already piloting new efforts to improve road safety by monitoring for reckless drivers and unroadworthy vehicles.
One such example is the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), which is piloting a new “three-strike” system with harsh penalties for non-compliant car owners.
Under this policy, metro police will check a vehicle for various faults including critical defects that make it unsafe to drive. If three or more are detected, the police have the authority to immediately impound the car.
The faults and misdemeanors that officers are looking for include:
- Worn tyres
- Faulty brakes
- Defective lights
- Leaking engine oil
- Cracked windscreens
The JMPD’s stance is that vehicle compliance is non-negotiable and that drivers must ensure their vehicles are properly maintained to ensure public safety and avoid legal consequences.
Worrying statistics
The DoT’s clampdown on poorly maintained cars is motivated by South Africa’s concerning road safety statistics.
As many as 11,883 road fatalities were recorded in 2023, which works out to an average of 33 people being killed in car-related incidents every day.
These accidents tend to spike over the holiday season with roughly 80% of cases being attributed to human error.
Roadworthiness is another major contributor to accidents, as it is estimated that 1 in 10 vehicles in the country are unsafe to drive.
A large part of this is due to the fact that the average car is around 11 years old and poorly maintained, leading to deadly flaws such as unresponsive brakes.
In response, the DoT is pushing to expand a 24/7 shift system for traffic officers to increase the visible police presence out on the roads.
So far, only the Western Cape and the National Traffic Police have adopted the 24/7 model, but the end goal is to have it implemented across all nine provinces so that the authorities can better monitor reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.
To facilitate this plan, the government is allocating additional resources towards recruiting and training new officers as well as improving road safety campaigns.
In addition, the Road Traffic Management Corporation is planning to raise its internal standards with a new training initiative that will require officers to have a post-matric diploma going forward.
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