South Africa must look at
its traffic law enforcement
methods before it
apportions blame for vehicle
accidents.
“In South Africa if a
truck driver is stopped and
has fatigue it is a labour
issue and not a road traffic
management issue,” said
Stan Bezuidenhout, a
forensic collision homicide
reconstructionist. “This
would have far more to do
with the
employment
act than the
danger a
tired driver
is to other
road users
and himself.
In Australia
truck drivers
are legally
bound to
carry fatigue
logs. This
documents when they stop,
where they stop and for
how long. If a traffic officer
stops them and this log is
not filled in it is seen as a
serious offence.”
But, he said, one can
continue to quote examples
from other countries but
until South Africa looks at
law enforcement and how it
is managed there will be no
difference when it comes to
accidents.
Johan Jonck of Arrive
Alive says the focus is on
speed and even this is
enforced by camera.
According to Gavin Kelly,
spokesman for the RFA,
this has
more to do
with revenue
generation
than changing
driver
behaviour.
“Fines
for traffic
violations
are a valid
method of
revenue
collection for
many municipalities across
the country. We are going to
have to address that before
we do anything else,” he
said.
INSERT & CAPTION
If a truck driver is
stopped and has
fatigue it is a labour
issue.
– Stan Bezuidenhout
