The development of an implementation and management plan for the traffic management system in advancing the decade of action for road safety in South Africa, 2030 versus 2020

Abstract

In South Africa, road traffic models that can assist to reduce road traffic casualty rates by 50% in line with United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety from 2011 to 2020, are implemented under the Traffic Management System (TMS) as the sub-system of the Transport System (TS). The TMS is a concept where different role-players work together as a team in a holistic and integrated manner with the common aim to promote orderly traffic and road traffic safety. The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety is an international road safety programme initiated by the UN by which countries around the world, including South Africa as signatory, to reduce road traffic casualties by 50% between 2011 to 2020. The UN initiated this programme after identified the serious challenge of the increment of road traffic casualties globally. The current rate at which road traffic fatalities are increasing in South Africa, suggests that South Africa will not be able to reduce these casualties by 50% by 2020. The DoT developed the National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS) 2016 and extended its timeframe to 2030 in line with the National Development Plan (NDP). This paper is focused on the implementation of the developed and new road traffic management models that can assist in reducing the contributory factors to road traffic casualties. New models that can be implemented, include management models such as non-wearing of seatbelt, risk assessment, data collection and analyzing, children training, accident management, assessment and monitoring, taxi star rating to reduce traffic casualties and to promote road safety in South Africa.