Hazardous road safety location analysis: a case study of the Western Cape.

Abstract

Paper presented at the 30th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 11-14 July 2011 "Africa on the Move", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.

It is well known that South Africa has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world. Although regular analysis of road safety data takes place in South Africa, identified measures, based on this analysis, have not led to a major reduction of road fatalities in the past. Various levels of Government in South Africa have recently set targets to reduce road fatalities. The Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) has set itself the task to reduce road fatalities by 50% between 2009 and 2014. To be able to assess whether various measures are successful, it is key that the correct number of fatalities is known. Moreover, detailed statistics on the accident types etc. are needed to identify the most promising measures. Under the umbrella of the SAFELY HOME project, the PGWC has asked the Centre for Transport Studies, at the University of Cape Town (UCT), to carry out a Baseline study. The aim of the study is to establish the exact number of fatal road crashes in the province, as well as the detailed statistics required to identify measures. This paper summarises a selection of the analysis and findings.