The effect of infrastructure and educational road safety interventions in Khayelitsha, Cape Town

Abstract

Since 2009, the proportion of vehicle occupant fatalities in road crashes globally has decreased, while the proportion of pedestrians, cyclists, two- and three-wheelers killed in road crashes has increased by 8% (ITF, 2019; WHO, 2009; WHO, 2018). Furthermore, road traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death for children and young adults (ages 5-29 years) globally (WHO, 2018). Statistics for South Africa’s mid-year population estimates for 2018 indicate that approximately 19.7 million of the South African population are children (up to 18 years). In Korea, a massive decrease in road fatalities for children under the age of 14 years was achieved through various infrastructure and policy interventions. Programmes to improve school zones were implemented, which included the installation of traffic safety equipment, such as safety signs and pedestrian traffic signals, the installation of sidewalks and speed bumps, as well as limiting the speed in the area to 30 km/h. ChildSafe, an injury prevention unit based at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, is a non-profit organisation that aims to reduce and prevent injuries of children through research, education, and recommendations to legislation. This paper describes a situational analysis, implemented measures, as well as measurable effects of road safety interventions in Khayelitsha.