‘Address road carnage by school level intervention’

Reducing the carnage on South Africa’s roads calls for road safety education from a young age, according to Esther Schmidt of the Johannesburg Roads Agency. Some 2 485 people died on Gauteng roads in 2009. “It is estimated 95% of all road crashes happen as a result of a traffic offence,” says Schmidt. “At least 80% of crashes are due to human error while road conditions and environment account for 5%. The JRA has done much research into road safety,” says Schmidt, “but to really address the problem we must bring road safety back into the school curriculum and teach children from a young age.” For this reason several pilot projects have been undertaken by the JRA involving primary schools in Johannesburg. Teaching safety skills to children can provide lifelong benefits to society, but should be seen as a long-term intervention strategy, she said.