Pedestrian killed by runaway taxi

18 April 2008

This afternoon at about 17h00 a runaway taxi mounted a pavement, completely flattening an electrical box, which started burning,setting the grass alight in the area, this was extinguished before it spread too far,the vehicle then mounted another pavement killing a pedestrian who had been innocently walking home from work.The taxi came to a standstill after crashing through a precast wall.

Fourteen other passengers were injured, one of which was critical, the rest were less severely injured but still required treatment and transport to hospital. Brake failure was thought to have been the reason the taxi was unable to stop. The incident took place in Zeiss Str. in Laser park, Honeydew.

[ Information provided by Netcare 911 to the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog]

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Call for Papers for Accident Investigation Conference 2008

Objectives of the Conference

- Create public and media awareness regarding road traffic accident investigation and reconstruction and the necessity of accident investigations and reconstruction;
- Share South African and international experiences regarding road traffic accident investigation and reconstruction;
- Showcase the latest technologies and getting together manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, buyers, exhibitors and participants;
- Building and improving relationships with new and existing suppliers through one-on-one relationship marketing;

The themes of the conference papers are selected to stimulate debate and motivate policy decision makers, South African Police Services, Traffic Authorities, private organizations, transport planners and transport engineers to view the provision of accident investigation and reconstruction as an integral part of transport safety industry.

These themes include:

1. Trucking and accidents
2. Dangerous goods vehicles accidents
3. Glazing on heavy vehicle brake systems
4. Human Factors and Commercial Transport
5. ABS on trucks (Intelligent system)
6. Trucking Industry 2010 – (HIV/AIDS)
7. Busses (working conditions of driver)
8. Commercial Accidents – Brake test vs Brake systems
9. Panel Van conversions to minibus taxis
10. Taxi overloading – The effect on dynamic vehicle behaviour in various circumstances.
11. Transport of passengers on the back of a goods vehicle
12. Speed as contributory factor of accidents in commercial vehicles
13. Accident Investigation in South Africa – Unique situation
14. Expert evidence in court
15. Cross-border transport and agreements
16. Law Enforcement training in Public Transportation.
17. Incident/Disaster Management at a road accident scene: - a South African perspective - an international perspective
18. New technologies in the field of accident investigation
19. Any relevant topic concerning commercial transport.

The Call for Papers has the following deadlines:

Dates for Submission of Papers Abstracts 30 May 2008
Paper and CV 30 June 2008
Presentation and final paper 30 July 2008

For any enquiries the following persons can be contacted:

Cielie Karow (012) 6656056 / 0833261992
Luchas Steenkamp (012) 6656111 / 0837041745