SPEECH (NOTES) BY KWAZULU-NATAL MEC FOR TRANSPORT, COMMUNITY SAFETY AND LIAISON MR. BHEKI CELE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE KEEP LEFT PASS RIGHT ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN AT THE MARIANHILL TOLL PLAZA ON TUESDAY, 14^th JUNE 2005.

One of the key mandated goals of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport is to create a safe road environment through the reduction of road crashes.

According to the 2001 census, KwaZulu-Natal has the highest population in the country. KZN is also the export gateway for goods and is a major tourism destination. Thus kilometres travelled within the province are amongst the highest in the country.

Therefore our province understandably has the third highest incidence of road injuries and deaths in South Africa.

Since 1994 there has been a rapid growth in traffic volumes on the province’s roads due to growth in the national economy. Despite this, the KZN Transport Department, through a concerted and coordinated enforcement and education programme, has managed to limit the growth in road crashes. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of road deaths occurring in the province.

Over the years the Department has successfully pioneered the Asiphephe (Let Us Be Safe) road safety campaign. As part of this campaign, during December last year I introduced our new slogan, "from Zero Tolerance to 100% Compliance", as well as "Omela eKhaya" (Get Thirst At Home).

The Asiphephe campaign has reinforced the Department’s enforcement programme as well as provided road safety education in schools and communities throughout the province. Community Road Safety Councils have been established throughout the province to ensure that the Department addresses road safety issues identified by the respective communities themselves.

In a social order such as South Africa, where most citizens have become desensitised to hostility and aggressive behaviour, it seems as if such behaviour is becoming increasingly more frequent, especially on our roads.

Although there are no specific statutes in South Africa which regulate road rage, one of the key methods to successfully combat aggressive driving behaviour, and by implication road rage, is strict law enforcement of moving offences.

As part of our efforts to reduce the number of road rage incidents, ease traffic flow and invariably reduce the number of road crashes, we are gathered here today to officially launch the "KEEP LEFT, PASS RIGHT" road safety campaign.

The primary purpose of this campaign is to encourage motorists to drive on the left side of the road at all times, and to use the right lane expressly when overtaking another vehicle.

The "KEEP LEFT, PASS RIGHT" rule is not new and is one of the most basic and fundamental golden road rules.

In the South African context, relative speeds and conflicting traffic combined with a destructive driving culture increases the potential risk for conflict. The peak times for aggressive driving are not during tightly packed traffic jams, but just before, when traffic density is high but cars are still moving swiftly. Add to this the blaring of a horn, angry shouting and rude hand gestures and you have a recipe for disaster.

Several studies indicate that aggressive or reckless driving may increase the risk of traffic accidents. The most dominant ones are excessive speeding, tailgating, failure to yield the right of way for other road users and red-light running.

All of this kind of road insanity results in drivers’ engaging in physical fights or using their vehicles to smash into other drivers, sometimes forcing them off the road. In these situations, the best advice is to keep left and stay composed.

If you are in the right lane and someone wants to pass, move over and let them by. You may be "in the right" because you are travelling at the prescribed speed limit - but you may also be putting yourself in danger by making drivers behind you angry. As motorists, we all have a responsibility to calm the emotional temperature on our roads.

Any gesture that may be interpreted as a threat or challenge should be avoided. Keeping your emotions in check when entering the road environment seems to be the only way to avoid confrontation.

According to a recent road rage survey conducted by the Automobile Association (AA), 47.7% of respondents, both perpetrators and victims were accompanied by children during reported episodes of verbal or physical abuse. This behaviour merely reinforces aggressive behavioural patterns in our children.

Regulation 296 of the National Road Traffic Act, Act 96 of 1996 states, "Any person driving on a public road shall do so by driving on the left side of the roadway and, where such roadway is of sufficient width, in such manner as not to encroach on that half of the roadway to his or her right ….."

Therefore any person who contravenes this law will be dealt with accordingly.

In conclusion, I have made a pledge to "defend the weak" in our society during my tenure as MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison.

The accepted wisdom in road safety suggests that government participation in promoting road safety should go beyond traffic regulation and enforcement. It is thus becoming progressively clearer that traffic management and road safety in South Africa must implement new strategies that resonate with people-centred development.

The "KEEP LEFT, PASS RIGHT" campaign is part of this approach in order to meet the challenges that lie ahead.

Finally, always remember to "KEEP LEFT" and "Don’t Hog the Fast Lane".

Thank you.

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