MEDIA STATEMENT
ISSUED BY THE ROAD ACCIDENT FUND
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
13 JANUARY 2016
ROAD SAFETY PARAMOUNT AMONG YOUTH AS SCHOOLS OPEN
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All information contained in this press statement must be attributed to the Road
Accident Fund (RAF) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Eugene Watson:
Today marks the start of the 2016 school term and with it comes the rigours of another
challenging year for children and parents alike. However, as you brace yourselves for the
vicious cycle of endless homework and school activities, spare a thought for those
youngsters who will never have the opportunity to sit behind a school desk, let alone
have an opportunity to live through their formative years.
The Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters’ announcement that 10.4% of pedestrian deaths
during the Festive Season were children aged from 0 – 4, drew gasps from journalists
and transport stakeholders during a media briefing yesterday. We at the RAF are
perturbed by these statistics, as should be parents who allow their children to walk
unaccompanied to and from school, or travel in unlicensed transport shuttles. Parents
therefore have a crucial responsibility to ensure their children are safe on the roads.
We extend our deepest condolences to the families of these young casualties, but also
strongly urge parents to prevent this needless carnage by securing the safety of their
young ones on the road. One of the most effective measures of protecting vehicle
occupants from injury or death in the event of a crash is the fitment and use of seatbelts
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and child restraints, such as baby seats. These restraints save lives and reduce the
severity of injuries.
The seatbelt is also the single most effective feature which prevents passengers from
being ejected from the vehicle. Other road safety measures such as facing oncoming
traffic when walking by the side of the road, and crossing at designated places will also
contribute towards saving lives.
One of the RAF’s programmes includes reducing road fatalities through a dedicated road
safety programme, in keeping with the UN Global Decade of Action for Road Safety
(2011-2020). The programme includes educating communities and the youth about
adhering to basic road safety rules. Other activities include educating scholar patrols,
instilling safe and responsible behaviour amongst the youth, promoting road safety
amongst the youth so that they become responsible road users, and encouraging the
youth to become road safety ambassadors.
Adults need to ensure the young lives that have been entrusted to them are kept safe
on our roads by not practising irresponsible behaviour such as speeding, driving without
seat belts or texting while driving. The RAF’s latest campaign, My Road Your Road, seeks
to show that by considering the needs of other road users and through good behaviour,
we can save lives, thus producing tangible results.
Road safety is the collective responsibility of all road users and it is imperative that we
all play our part in reducing accidents and fatalities.
On behalf of the RAF, we wish all school goers a safe and successful year.
Issued by the Road Accident Fund’s Media and Public Relations Unit
Linda Rulashe: Senior Manager Media & Public Relations. Tel: (012) 621-1605.
Mobile: 083-386-3929. Email: [email protected]
Thandeka Ngwenya: Media & Public Relations Specialist. Tel: (012) 649-2163.
Mobile: 084-719-0989. Email: [email protected]
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