Coping with Road Safety in KZNTHE province of KwaZulu-Natal covers 92 000 square kilometers. It makes up 7,6 percent of the land area of South Africa. It has a sub-tropical climate and a substantially higher annual rainfall than any other province. About eight million people live in the region, making it the most populous province with 20,3 per cent of the total South African population. The rural areas are home to 56,5% of the people and 43,5% live in urban and peri-urban areas. There are about six million licensed drivers and 6 730 000 registered vehicles in South Africa. Just over one million of these drivers (16,67%) reside in KwaZulu-Natal and nearly 962 000 (14,28%) of the country’s vehicles are registered in this province. The total road network of South Africa is about 500 000 kilometres, of which KwaZulu-Natal makes up 4,5 per cent. The province has 22 878 kilometres of roadway, of which just over half is tarred. Around 15,9 per cent of the crashes in South Africa occur in KwaZulu-Natal. This is an under-representation in relation to the population, length of roads and vehicle numbers. This is so in view of the huge traffic volumes experienced in the province during most public holidays, festive seasons as well as school holidays, and other challenges such as topography and weather. The province is mountainous. The famous Drakensberg mountain range is over 3 200 metres. From the KwaZulu-Natal border to the coast, the main road from Van Reenen to Durban drops 1 944 metres. This makes driving dangerous, and encourages the formation of mist and rain throughout the year, especially on the escarpment. The ChallengesThe densely populated rural areas have a high degree of pedestrian activity. Lack of facilities for pedestrians – a problem that invariably results in a high number of pedestrian fatalities – is just one of the challenges facing the province. However, this is now one of the province’s top priorities. Taxi commuter facilities are no better. They need to be improved drastically, including paving and fencing for the convenience of commuters. Some of the farms in the rural areas are not fenced, resulting in livestock roaming freely and dangerously on to the roads. Rain and mist are a daily occurrence in large parts of the province There are also snowfalls. These weather conditions present a big challenge to many South African drivers. The KwaZulu-Natal coast is a popular holiday area. It is easily accessible to the seven million Gauteng residents. Many residents of other provinces as well as overseas visitors choose this area as their holiday destination. Its many holiday attractions, beaches, game parks and historical places attract tens of thousands. This number multiplies over Easter and Christmas. Visiting drivers are not always aware of our "Zero Tolerance" policy. Traffic enforcement throughout the province is in the hands of 64 local authorities, this includes the Durban Metropolitan Police Services, as well as the KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate. There are too few traffic officers working full time to enforce the law in the province. The ration of police officers to members of the public is 1:7 500. In Western Europe and the United States the ratio is 1:750.
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