Truck carnage prompts call for tighter legislation

Politicians are rallying for tighter legislation that holds truck owners accountable for accidents caused through unroadworthiness or poor service maintenance of their vehicles. This call to action follows the release of horrifying statistics that 40 people have died and close to a hundred have been injured in accidents involving trucks since the beginning of September. The general public meantime has started calling for bans of heavy vehicles on roads with high accident figures. In KwaZulu-Natal these calls reached a peak following the deaths of 23 people after a truck ploughed into a car and four minibus taxis earlier this month. While investigations into the incident are ongoing – with claims of the brakes having failed and the truck licence having expired – the truck driver has formally been charged with 23 counts of murder and one count of reckless and negligent driving. When this issue went to print a petition calling for a ban on heavy vehicles on the particular road where the accident happened – the Field’s Hill Road (M13) in Pinetown – had already passed the 7500 signatures mark. According to Mike Brews, chief operating officer of Associated Marine, accidents have increased in recent months. “In our business we don’t look at the vehicles, but from a cargo damage point of view there has definitely been an increase in the number of accidents and it is a concern to us.” He said many factors were at play that could contribute to the higher number of accidents. “There is systemic risk – be it the decaying infrastructure resulting in poor road conditions or not enough driver education and knowledge. The tough economic environment has also played a role in that costs have increased and many companies are under severe strain and are trying to get the maximum out of their staff and resources.” Brews said from an insurance point of view risk management had become crucial and there were incentives for companies to decrease risk. “Be it through putting restrictions on how long a driver can be behind the wheel or having a second driver available to take over, these are all attempts to reduce the risk and have an impact on the premium paid.” Between September 1 and September 11 a total of nine accidents involving ten trucks were reported. Near Bloemfontein seven people were killed when a truck collided with two vehicles, while in North-West a couple and their nine-month-old baby were killed when their car collided with a truck. Other accidents took place in Pretoria, Germiston and Bedfordview. KZN MEC for transport, community safety and liaison, Willies Mchunu, has vowed to work towards tightening legislation around truck owners’ accountability. Several other MECs in the country have joined his cause. According to a spokesman for the Automobile Association, this is just one of the issues that needs to be addressed if long-term solutions are to be found. “Yes, more truck owners have to be held accountable because a large number of trucks on the roads are overloaded or have records of poor service maintenance, but just as importantly we have to increase truck driver training. We are sending drivers out onto the roads without adequate skills and knowledge. Increased training is vital.” At the same time issues around driver licensing in the country also have to be addressed, said the spokesman. While official figures are not available, it has been alleged that some 40% of all drivers’ licences issued in South Africa are fraudulent. “Along with that more visible policing is needed and more data has to be captured around accidents – where are they happening, what are the causes, who is involved. We don’t have much granular detail.” In this regard the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) responsible for monitoring accidents has not provided any up-to-date statistics around truck accidents in more than three years. “There is a document available from 2011 but it is very superficial. We cannot solve the problem if we don’t know what the problem is,” said the spokesman. With costs escalating around the increased number of accidents, Brews maintains that solutions have to be found. “One has to look at the problem holistically. Banning trucks off the roads or only looking at truck operators is not the answer. No one person is to blame. It would just be shortsighted to approach it like that. Clearly we need a collective effort to solve the problem of truck carnage.” CAPTION The remains of some of the vehicles involved in the deadly Pinetown truck crash that killed 23 people