Bad Driving and responses from the NTCC
Is it worthwhile to report bad driving – and how do these alleged offenders react? The National Traffic Call Centre [ 0861 400 800] at the Road Traffic Management Corporation has kindly provided some information on the interaction with the public, and I would like to publish some of these responses on the road safety blog.
These responses provide confirmation that these reports can contribute towards road safety, that the National Traffic Call Centre understands the importance of interaction with the public and that we should continue to use social media in addressing road safety.
A few emails were sent between the National Traffic Call Centre and a reported vehicle owner in Mpumalanga and I would like to quote from these interactions. [personal and registration details are not the actual details]
[Vehicle Owner]:
I do not accept responsibility for this “Alleged” reckless driving against my name for vehicle Isuzu ABC123MP! How is it possible that anyone can make a statement like this without any proof, a photo or something?
I do not have a logbook on this particular vehicle. I run a farm and have various work vehicles on my personal name.
I demand that should there not be any proof of this case, that my name be cleared within 7 days from today. Should I not receive any correspondence stating this or otherwise, I shall take this matter to court.
From the date that I have received my licence (18 years old) I have not been involved in 1 accident, and am surely not a reckless driver! This can also be checked with the SAP authorities.
[Call Centre]:
good afternoon, please find attached document of your feedback.
[Vehicle Owner]:
I do not understand the content of this letter that you have attached! I am awaiting PROOF OF THIS OFFENCE! I do not accept the fact that anyone can phone your number and make a complaint – which is a good thing to do – but which do not have any proof for this complaint. Then I can also phone your number and lodge a complaint against anyone that I do not like, and tell you that he/she is driving recklessly on this/that road! I do not accept this. I want proof of this incident or a statement from the person that lodged the complaint, and I want my name to be cleared. If it has been cleared, I
require a letter such as the one you attached, stating that my name has been cleared.
What action must I take to prevent things like this in future, due to the fact that I have various drivers on various vehicles that is registered in my name?
Thank You – your urgent reply is appreciated.
[ Call Centre]:
I have read your response and would like to clear some of the concerns you have raised:
1. The letter serves as a notification of reckless and inconsiderate behaviour on our roads and as a request from the Road Traffic Management Corporation for drivers to change their attitudes towards traffic laws, and improve road safety.
2. You received the letter as the vehicle is registered in your name and the
Corporation is fully aware that you may not be the regular driver of the vehicle and has clearly stated that should this be the case, you as the owner would know who the regular driver is. Should it be you do not recall who was the driver of the vehicle at the time or do not keep a log book, as it is in your case, a note is made on our data base that you as the owner were not the driver at the time of the incident.
3. The Corporation advises you as the owner of the vehicle to bring the contents of the letter to the attention of all the drivers in your employment to comply with traffic laws and practice considerate driving behaviour when on the roads. Should they not do so, you are likely to receive another letter notifying you of their inconsiderate and reckless
behaviour on the roads.
4.The data base is not linked to any traffic authority but is for research and development purposes. The information sent to traffic authorities to step up law enforcement, is information based on the frequency of certain offences in an area and not information on an individual vehicle reported to the call Centre.
5. Members of the public are welcome to register with the Call Centre as Voluntary Public Traffic Observers (VPTO) and report traffic offenders, fraudulent and corrupt behaviour by traffic officials, vehicle or licence testing stations, and hazardous road conditions. To register members of the public as VPTOs is a management tool used by the Corporation to avoid people using the Centre for personal vendettas. Should any member be found abusing the Centre, legal actions will be taken against them. VPTOs are also requested not to confront traffic offenders as this might lead to road rage incidents, one of the behaviours the Corporation is working on to reduce.
Hope you will the above information very helpful. Should you have any more queries you are welcome to call me. My contact details are given below.
Kind regards,
Magdeline Mosako
Assistant Director: National Traffic Call Centre
Road Traffic Management Corporation
[Vehicle Owner]:
Thank you very much for your reply. This matter was a very great concern to me, but I now feel better knowing that you have noted that I was not the driver. I have now implemented a log book system to prevent occurrences like this in future – for my own sake.
[ Call Centre]:
You are welcome. The log book system will make it possible to keep track of your drivers’ behaviour and the ability for you to manage whatever traffic fines each one may pick up because of their reckless behaviour while using your vehicle thus saving you money.
This interaction between road safety authorities and the public will benefit road safety. It is important to acknowledge that road safety is a team activity – something only possible if government, road safety organizations and the public strive towards the same goals!
More information on the National Traffic Call Centre is available on the website www.arrivealive.co.za
So what’s the number for the call centre?
Sorry Steve That is 0861 400 800!
Dear Sir/Ms,
I reside in a country town of Fochville in the North West Province.
We relocated to Fochville at the end of February 2007. Unfortunately for me, the company I work for allocated a house for us in the main street called Losberg Street.
At first we were quite happy to be in Fochville as it seemed to be a lovely little country town.
Imaging our shock and horror when we experienced the nightly bout of drag racing, rubber-burning, dicing, total disregard for road signs up and down our street as soon as the sun-set, every night, especially over weekends and end-of the month periods, by both bike riders and motor-car drivers.
I soon found out that Fochville only has traffic officers on duty during normal day-light hours and never after 16:00.
At night the roads belong to the hooligans and rabble-rousers who have absolutely no regard for the road traffic laws or the safety of other road-users in mind.
What makes it all worse is that the SAPS station is located along this street as well, but they do nothing about the problem.
Fochville at night reminds me of the modern version of the ” Old Wild west” where lawlessness is the order of the day (night actually).
When I raise this subject with the locals who have resided in Fochville for a long time, they inform me that they too have appealed for assistanc to stop the lawlessness, but nothing has ever being done to eradicate this behavior. They now just live with it.
Fochville lost a father and his daughter in a road accident two weeks ago due to this lawlessness, but it is still going on every night. The really sad part is the that there are security firms in the town that participate in racing up and down the street whether there is an emergency or not. It seems that the night shift crews race to clock in where they need to and race back to the control centre so as not to miss the rest of the TV show they are watching or to see who can make the rounds the quickest.
I have never before noticed so many vehicles, two and four wheelers that have such noisy exhaust systems. It reminds me of the old “Three liter-engine, Two-liter Coke and one-litre brandy” brigade people always joke about. Well, we have them right here at night in Fochville.
Believe it or not, we have never managed to sleep through one whole night. Other residence tell me the same tale, yet they accept it as the norm in Fochville. I cannot nor will I.
On Easter Monday morning at 09:30 my son and I were standing on our verandah and witnessed three cars racing, side-by-side from the top of the hill where the Civiv Centre is all the way down, through three stop signs to the circle in the centre of town. I tried to phone the emergency number to report this. Guess what… no answer at that number.
I have written letters of appeal to numerous government departments, both local and national and I am sorry to say have not even received acknowledgement of my letters, never mind any assistance.
Readers out there may think this is pure fiction, exagerated and unbelievable, but I asure you it is all true.
I wrote to Arrive Alive and they are the only peole that have reacted to my appeals for which I am very grateful. i have now placed my faith and trust in the Arrive Alive team and system to permanatly eradicate this scourge that have taken over Fochville at night.
Having said all the above, I must add that we have found Fochville to be a genuinely, very nice neat and ordely town where the people are generally very friendly and helpful. We were welcomed by everybody who realized that we were new to their town.
I dread to think what would happen if the law breakers were to find out who wrote this letter, athough I’m sure, because of my previous appeals to the newspapapers etc, they already know.
So, let hope we can make Fochville safe and a pleasnat town 24-7-365.
Be Safe
Andy