The use of drugs and alcohol, distractions such as cellphones, reckless driving, speeding and careless pedestrians have been identified as the top five human errors that cause car crashes, which claim 60% of young lives globally.
This is according to Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) Africa co-ordinator and national adviser Dr Pieter Venter, who said car accidents were the biggest manmade disaster in the world, claiming 1.4-million lives each year.
Venter was speaking at a road safety ambassador project launch on Wednesday at Nelson Mandela University’s south campus, where he addressed a group of 15 students who have started a road safety programme that is set to tackle these issues.
He said 80% of global accidents were in countries with the lowest income.
Venter said SA was the worst performer in road safety on the continent, attributing it to the flaw in the K53 driver’s licence test that does not teach drivers to be courteous.
“It all starts with an attitude. K53, the test you have to do to pass your driver’s licence ... [requires] you to parallel park perfectly, move off, perfectly reverse and do a three-point turn perfectly.
“But it does not teach you anything about behaviour on the road.
“Or the importance of wearing a safety belt, fatigue or the consequences of drinking and driving,” he said.
Venter said that is how a relationship with the Michelin Foundation started, adding that the foundation would be investing in road safety programmes in SA and Brazil.
GRSP, in collaboration with the Michelin Foundation, roped in the South African Red Cross Society Eastern Cape provincial office as implementing agent, with Port Elizabeth identified as the best suitable city to roll out the programme.
The road safety project is targeted at young drivers, most specifically those who are yet to learn how to drive.
The 14-month journey that the ambassadors will undertake is a pilot programme which the Michelin Foundation hopes to roll out nationally in the near future.
The ambassadors will be divided equally across the main NMU campuses (south and north), Second Avenue and Missionvale, where each member has a set target of 40 potential drivers on campus to reach.
GRSP SA representative Luck Molaudzi said the programme would also reach the surrounding community, where they will have quarterly splash events.
For the first part of the programme, the ambassadors will undergo training in First Aid and peer education by the Red Cross Eastern Cape office, as well as training on the fundamental components of road safety by the Youth For Road Safety organisation.
Michelin Tyre Company SA communications and public affairs manager Itumeleng Makgobathe said she was representing Michelin Foundation CEO Florent Menegaux.
“Michelin’s history actually originates from maps and guides – having established the first road signs in France.
“That’s why safety has always been key to the group.
“When you are driving, the only contact between the car and road is your tyre.
“Our business either keeps you safe or unsafe,” she said.
It was Michelin’s obligation to not only provide safe products but also to take a keen interest in road safety.