With October being regarded as Transport month in South Africa, it would perhaps be necessary to look at some factors which cause fatalities on our roads.
According to Stats SA, 14 000 people die each year on South African roads and over-speeding, unroadworthy vehicles, driving while using a cellphone and drunk driving are some of the leading causes of road deaths.
This year alone 2 818 road users have already died as a result of road accidents from January to March.
It is my contention that traffic officers can prevent some of the factors mentioned above as leading causes of fatalities by simply arresting or issuing a fine to erring motorists.
But alas, most traffic cops are in the criminal habit of soliciting bribes from erring motorists instead of enforcing the rules and regulations of the road.
It has not yet dawned on these unethical traffic cops that by failing to arrest or issue a fine against an erring motorist they are accomplices in the deaths of innocent road users whose vehicles may be smashed by that of a drunk, over speeding driver or a driver who may be using a cellphone while driving an unroadworthy vehicle.
It is my opinion that traffic cops and maybe the police as well must be forced to take a lie detector test each time before they knock off from work. (PARAGRAPH) The question asked of them during the lie detector test should be a simple one:
“Did you take a bribe from motorists today?”
And I bet most of them will fail the lie detector test and do you know why?
They take bribes, finish en klaar!
They stop vehicles left, right and centre hoping to get the infamous “cool drink” from motorists and don’t have the desire to protect motorists, and pedestrians for that matter from erring motorists.
Once an erring motorist has popped out the “cool drink” money, they are allowed to continue with their journey on the roads.
On the Solomon Mahlangu Drive in Mamelodi East I often used to see traffic cops stopping vehicles up the road for the purpose of soliciting a bribe, while down the very same road between Extension 5 and Phomolong informal settlement there would be traffic congestion about which the traffic cops wouldn’t bother themselves to clear.
Yet I remember very well that the late former TMPD Chief Steven Ngobeni always used to say one of the main duties of traffic cops is to ensure free traffic flow.
Now since traffic cops can’t protect us, it is up to us pedestrians and drivers to take it upon ourselves to obey the rules and regulations of the road.
A TMPD chaplain once said the following words of wisdom at the N1 Carousel Plaza in 2015 during the launch of an Easter Road Safety Awareness campaign:
“Road signs and traffic lights and all regulations pertaining to road safety are like Jesus Christ, they are there to show us the right way and caution us against impending danger, ignore them at your own peril!”