Shocking statistics on unroadworthy trucks

Shocking statistics that reveal the extent of unroadworthy heavy vehicles have just been released. In a recent project in Bloemfontein, 85% of the vehicles tested had deficient tyres or brakes, or both. Other centres have included Polokwane where 11 out of 12 trucks tested were found wanting, and the Western Cape, where all 25 vehicles tested were found unroadworthy. The blitz is part of a privately initiated traffic officer training programme dubbed ‘Brake and Tyre Watch’. According to the South African Road Federation (SARF), it involves training traffic officers on how to identify unroadworthy brakes and tyres on heavy vehicles. Over 600 traffic officers have attended the two-day course which covers both theoretical and practical instruction. The practical element includes actual truck inspections, and of the 325 vehicles inspected to date, 204 have been served with discontinuation notices.