Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users in South Africa and special efforts are being made to reduce the number of incidents involving people who walk next to the national roads.
Some 12.4 million pedestrians under the age of 24 walk to school every day and are especially at risk, unless steps are taken to curb the high rate of vehicle crashes involving pedestrians. Randall Cable, SANRAL’s Engineering Manager in the agency’s Western Cape Region, says the high number of pedestrian fatalities (40% of all road deaths in South Africa) are being addressed through a combination of activities by the agency:
- Safer roads and the provision of infrastructure such as pedestrian bridges and sidewalks
- Greater awareness among other road users about the possible presence of pedestrians on or close to roads
- Education programmes in schools to make children mindful about road safety at an early age
About a third of all schools in the country are located within 5km on either side of the more than 22 000km of national road network managed by SANRAL. The agency’s aim is to empower the 6.3 million affected learners with appropriate and relevant road safety information. This scientifically developed material will create the awareness required to influence attitudes that will result in safer road user behaviour.
The roads agency is working closely with education authorities and the primary objective is to “train the trainers” – getting the information to teachers and mobilising their support to impart the
correct messages to their learners. Children require different skills and information depending on their age and experience. SANRAL has developed comprehensive educational materials appropriate for the different teaching stages.
The material is incorporated into regular subjects at school – whether it is life skills or maths – and the educators have access to flip cards, posters and other teaching aids.
SANRAL’s initiative has already reached 1 940 schools and more than 14 000 teachers have received training and learning materials, Cable said. The programme will continue to expand to benefit an increasing number of learners living in close proximity to the major highways.
The agency is also working with academics at the universities of the North West and Pretoria to update and modify the learning material based on the latest available research. “Feedback from participants in the programme show that we are making an impact on attitudes toward road safety among learners,” said Cable. “Our primary goal is that this awareness must lead to changed behaviour and our future efforts will increasingly be geared toward achieving this goal.”
SANRAL’s programme fits into the Safe Systems approach advocated by the United Nations and South Africa is making a great contribution to the UN’s global Decade of Action on Road Safety, by sharing its research and experience in the field of education.
Spotting potholes
Every day of the week expert teams from SANRAL travel along every kilometre of the country’s primary road network, looking for any signs of pavement deterioration, especially potholes. It is, therefore, highly unlikely that a South African road user would encounter a gaping pothole on any of the 22 203km of roads network managed by SANRAL. In the rare instances where they do start to develop, potholes are fixed within 48 hours.
“We are keenly aware of the dangers that potholes pose to motorists travelling at cruising speeds on a freeway,” said Randall Cable, the Engineering Manager in SANRAL’s Western Region. Drivers who hit a pothole at speeds in excess of 100km/h can easily lose control of their vehicles and cause serious crashes.
“This is why we place such a strong emphasis on preventative maintenance, to ensure our roads remain in great shape throughout the year.”
The SANRAL network has been divided into 300km sections and teams move along it in one direction on alternate days, coming back on the same route the next. During these journeys, they conduct detailed inspections of the road surface, looking for the telltale signs of a developing pothole.
This task becomes especially important after heavy downpours, where the water might have damaged the asphalt.
The team also looks out for any other issue that might pose a hazard for road users, such as missing road signs or guardrails, debris left after a crash or a tyre burst and the occasional dead animal.
“The quicker you can identify a safety risk, the quicker you can make the correct intervention,” said Cable.
When SANRAL takes over the responsibility for a road previously managed by a province, the first step is always to start preventative management – clearing blocked storm-water pipes and culverts, cutting back vegetation, clearing litter and debris from the road reserves and fixing road signs and markings.
Potholes found on secondary roads are the responsibility of provincial, district and local authorities. However, SANRAL is always willing to share its research, knowledge and expertise with such agencies as part of its broader efforts to promote all aspects of road safety in South Africa.