RFA and government work together to promote safety

Government seems to have
realised the importance of
talking to the road freight
industry about road safety,
having for the first time invited
them to join a workshop.
Gavin Kelly of the Road
Freight Association (RFA)
welcomed the invitation from
the Road Traffic Management
Corporation (RTMC), saying
it was a move in the right
direction.
“It would seem they realise
that they have to include us in
their communication. How else
would we know what they are
doing?”
Collins Letsoalo, acting
chief executive officer of the
RTMC, earlier this year called
on the trucking industry to join
them in the fight to make South
Africa’s roads safer.
Reacting to this call Kelly
said the trucking industry at
large had been involved in
various road safety initiatives
for many years.
“But the government has
not really ever communicated
with us, so who knows what
they mean when they say come
on board. We, as an industry,
joined this fight many years
ago and have a wide range of
ongoing programmes.”
He said this ranged from
decreasing the number of
vehicles on the roads on public
holidays and religious holidays
to specialist driver training.
“We actively work at
ensuring there are less trucks
on the road during Easter
and Christmas. Training
programmes for drivers are
an important initiative as we
also train them in being able to
handle different conditions.”
He said road safety also
made up a big part of the
Driver Wellness Programme,
which looked at a wide range of
aspects affecting truck drivers,
while vehicle fitness and
maintenance programmes were
also always under way.