It has been highlighted this year that the road deaths over the festive period are up by 20 percent. A scary statistic is that over the last 10 days South Africa has beaten what the UK has for an entire year. The public are blaming a lack of police officers which is so far away from the real issue..
It goes a lot deeper than that though. The roads are dangerous due to poor lighting and maintenance. I try and avoid driving at night as the road markings and visibility in certain areas is non existent. Cats eyes that don't reflect your headlights are not a replacement for road markings and street lights.
I know how bad these roads are as I have driven all over the world. I love the road when it lights up like a runway in front of me. I haven't had that experience in South Africa though. I blame the drivers and the roads for this years carnage. This is not Play station where you can just push restart. If you are in a bad stretch of road and unsure which way the road is bending you slow down.
The other night after work I had to drop some staff members off and I must admit I was in a cold sweat at some points in the road. With road markings appearing and disappearing with no street lighting you are trying to read the road but it is not easy. At one point we nearly left the road and I wasn't driving fast.
I do believe that whoever designs the layout probably doesn't even have a driving licence or just a lack of common sense. I have seen it first hand when there are road works and a new layout is formed using cones, by god knows who. I know that layout costs lives over that 3 month period and I took different routes to avoid this road. I am a seasoned driver with an advanced licence and I am struggling. I have started to question my eyesight, but it's not that at all.
It has been proven with high visibility road markings you can reduce figures by up to 80 percent. It has nothing to do with the lack of police officers on the road. Driving skills may be part of the problem and knowing the rules of the road would help. A high portion of the licences are bought here and it is evident when you see how some of the people drive. I watched a lady go around the roundabout the wrong way.
A large portion of the population go for a code 10 licence which is for a small truck as the test is far easier. I know some of the girls from the office did this test as parking is not included like a code 8 which is the motor car. The public are finding the loopholes in this current system and it is making the roads more hazardous than the already are.
I expect a lot more deaths up until and after New Year as the system is screwed and it needs someone who knows what they are doing to overhaul the entire road safety network.
Image source skyscrapecity.com