In February 2022, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) proposed a blanket 10km/h reduction for all speed limits on South African roads.
This would, for instance, see the speed limit on the highway being reduced from 120 to 110km/h and the residential speed limit dropping from 60 to 50km/h.
However, since this proposal, the RTMC has been quiet on the matter with no updates or indications of whether the proposal had been accepted.
With this lack of updates, MyBroadband recently inquired with the RTMC to determine whether the proposed changes were still under consideration or had been scrapped.
The RTMC failed to respond to the enquiries in time.
This proposal from the RTMC was one of several it made while presenting its 465 Campaign before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Transport.
“We also have, as part of the overall 365 campaign, a focus on speed reduction,” the RTMC said.
This campaign focuses on areas with high conflict levels between road-users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motor vehicles.
Simon Zwane, RTMC’s chief communication officer, noted that the speed limit changes would bring South Africa’s road laws in line with the United Nations’ recommendations to reduce speeds by 10km/h.
He also stated that the decision was binding since South Africa is also a member of the United Nations Road Council and that the government supported the planned change.
That said, the authorities have yet to begin the formal process of implementing the speed limit changes.
The full changes proposed by the RTMC are:
- Reducing South Africa’s 60km/h speed limit on public roads in urban areas to 50km/h
- Reducing the 100km/h limit on public roads outside of urban areas to 90km/h
- Reducing the 120km/h highway speed limit to 110km/h
However, the United Nations doesn’t recommend specific speed limits for public roads outside urban areas and highways.
A degree of sense
Rob Handfield-Jones, Driving.co.za managing director, said the reduction of speed limits in built-up areas, namely going from 60km/h to 50km/h, made sense and could potentially reduce road fatalities.
However, he also noted that there is no evidence that reducing the 100km/h and 120km/h speed limits would have any noticeable impact on road deaths.
“From 60km/h to 50km/h, there are definite safety benefits associated with that,” said Handfield-Jones.
“It stands to reason because urban areas are where you have more activity, and if you reduce speed limits, drivers have more time to notice and react to hazards.”
Handfield-Jones then explained that there’s no evidence that reducing speeds on high-speed roads translates to improved safety, citing Germany’s Autobahns as an example.
The Autobahns are sections of highway in Germany that have no enforceable speed limits, but, despite this, the country has some of the safest roads in the world.
He also noted that countries like Australia have conversely increased the speed limits for their high-speed roads, and there has been no increase in fatalities.
Handfield-Jones also clarified that while South Africa has a high road death count, much of this is due to pedestrian casualties rather than vehicle occupants.
“About 40% of annual fatalities are pedestrians, and that’s a state that’s been stable for about 40 years now,” he said.
“Especially before 1994, road builders were relatively unconcerned about slapping high-speed roads through the middle of settlements.”
He explained that many of these roads lack bridges or tunnels, so locals are forced to cross the highway – posing a risk to themselves and drivers.
Handfield-Jones added that the country’s low literacy and education level also contribute to this issue.
“Most drivers are educated and they’re easy to reach,” he said.
“It’s always been a question of mine why the government isn’t going after drivers to educate them better on how to avoid pedestrian crashes.”
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