Sitting here with a nice Bells & Water [ not going out on the road tonight] I would like to reflect on a very informative meeting attended in Pretoria, South Africa. The event was a meeting of the South African branch of the Global Road Safety Partnership and it was held at the offices of the National Road Agency.
What is the Global Road Safety partnership? [GRSP] - My own short summary would be a partnership between different businesses and role players with an interest and desire to improve road safety. The common understanding amongst these parties is that road safety is a major concern, that government might not be able to fight this battle on its own - and that expertise from the private sector might be required to achieve greater road safety. Private companies suffer significant losses as a result of death and disability to employees as a result of road accidents and Non-Government organizations are known for the passion with which they approach their road safety initiatives. The GRSP provides through the mechanism of a Section 21 company [ Company of which the purpose is not financial gain] the ideal platform to design and implement road safety projects - with the added benefit of precise monitoring and auditing!
Why so important for South Africa? The GRSP can make a significant contribution towards road safety in a country where - according to stats on the arrive alive website - approximately 14,000 deaths occur on the roads. The onus to improve road safety rests primarily on the shoulders of the Department of Transport and the Road Traffic Management Corporation - but they battle amidst constraints such as funding, lack of manpower, insufficient training etc. The GRSP -through the support of the global body -might be able to bring well designed projects that have been implemented with success elsewhere and adapt these project to make a significant contribution in South Africa.
Recent Comments