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.