Revisiting the Status Quo of Road Safety Audits in South Africa 2019

Abstract

A Draft South African Road Safety Audit Manual (SARSAM) was published in 1999 under the guidance of the Committee for Land Transport Officials (COLTO). Early researchers lamented the lack of urgency in implementing road safety audits (Labuschagne, van As & Roodt, 2002). One of the constraints was the lack of training opportunities (van As, Steynberg, van Biljon & Scheepers, 2003). Sporadic training was provided by inter alia the CSIR (1999), Stellenbosch University (2010) and consulting engineering firms. The Education and Training Committee of the South African Road Federation (SARF) became involved in course presentation in 2014. Following the publishing of the second edition of the SARSAM (RTMC, 2012), the SARF course was revised in 2015/16. To determine the status quo of road audits in South Africa, a survey was conducted of road safety auditors in the country. The current situation with respect to training and the execution of such audits was assessed. The paper did not investigate the quality of road safety audits reports or findings which will require in-depth research. The findings indicate the time auditors spend in the industry, their backgrounds, their level of satisfaction with courses as a whole, the presentations and the training material. There is general consensus that the prices tendered for audits is too low to ensure good quality service, but, notwithstanding, the low prices, clients receive good value for money. There is a concern that all processes, especially formal feedback, are not followed and completed.