This afternoon Netcare 911 was called to a factory in the Prospecton area where a worker had fallen approximately 2 metes. He sustained critical head injuries and the Netcare 3 helicopter with a trauma team was called to assist with the stabilising of the patient.
He was then airlifted to the St Augustine’s hospital for further treatment.
Chris Botha
Netcare 911
Shortly after 17h00 Netcare 911 was called to a serious car accident on the M27 near the Umhloti RTI . Paramedics were met by carnage and destruction. A BMW travelling on the M27 from Veralum to Umhloti collided with a Honda Ballade that had taken the off ramp from the N2 north bound.
As a result of the accident the BVM overturned causing the driver of the vehicle to sustain life threatening injuries. He sadly died on the scene due to the severity of his injuries. The driver of the Honda ballade sustained multiple lower limb fracture’s and was stabilised on the scene. He was then taken to a local private hospital for further care . The front passenger of the Honda was in a critical condition and had to be placed on life support. Paramedics battled to stabilise the patient who sustained multiple injuries. He was then taken to a local Durban hospital but sadly died shortly after his arrival due to the injuries he sustained. A further passenger from the Honda sustained serious injuries and was also taken to a Durban hospital for further treatment.
This morning Netcare 911 rushed to the scene of a taxi accident on the M25 near the Kwa Mashu off -ramp. On arrival at the accident scene paramedics found that a car and a taxi had collided. One of the passengers of the taxi was thrown out and sustained critical injuries.
The Netcare helicopter was called to airlift the patient to the Albert Luthuli hospital for further treatment. A further 16 patients sustained minor injuries and was transported to various hospitals in the Durban area for further treatment. The driver of the car was not injured in the accident.
The transport plan to the Bafana Bafana versus Spain game in Rustenburg on Sunday has been changed, North West police advised on Friday.
Senior Superintendent Kebaakae Metsi said this was done in view of serious traffic congestion at some of the park and ride facilities which saw fans arriving late for the game between Egypt and the US last Sunday.
The new plan began with a call to fans to arrive at the park-and-ride site or the stadium at least hours before kick off, to reduce the problems caused by late arrivals.
Gates would be opened for spectators three hours before the game at noon.
There would be six park and ride sites, with guards deployed to make sure vehicles were not stolen.
Fans coming on the N4 east and west would be diverted to Rietvlei park and ride from Waterfall Mall intersection, and once the Rietvlei was 70 percent full, fans would be diverted to Olympia Park Stadium park and ride.
Fans coming from the north of Phokeng were advised to use Phokeng north park and ride, fans from the east should fill Phokeng east park and ride and those from the west were advised to park at the eastern park and ride.
Free shuttles would then take fans to the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
The R565 road would be closed to the public from 7am to the end of the game. It would only be opened for shuttles, VIPs with a vehicle pass and residents with approved car passes.
The following free park and rides were available: R104 North park and Ride; R104 South park and ride; Olympia park stadium park and ride; Phokeng North park and ride; Phokeng East park and ride; Phokeng west park and ride.
These routes would be manned by police and traffic officials. – Sapa
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The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport announced that the Van Reenen’s Pass near Harrismith has been closed to traffic after a truck overturned due to strong winds this morning. Department spokesperson Nonkululeko Mbatha says motorists, and truck drivers in particular, should be aware that strong winds were reported in many areas of the province.
She said drivers should reduce speed and be careful of the strong winds. Truck drivers have been asked to avoid the area until winds had subsided. Mbatha also warned motorists to drive carefully when there were run-away fires as previous major pile-ups resulted from thick smoke limiting visibility.
Mbatha advised motorists to stop before going into the smoke but not to do so once in the smoky area as other drivers might not see a stationary car when visibility is bad. She also advised motorists to either drive through the smoke slowly or turn around and avoid the area.
In the latest road accident, 20 people were injured after a collision between a taxi and a sedan at Westville in Durban. Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha says the accident happened on the Spine Road bridge in the early hours of this morning. He says 19 taxi passengers and the driver of the small car were injured. – Additional reporting by SABC
One hundred days after the inception of Operation Nomakanjani, a crackdown on reckless driving in Johannesburg, the metro police have been ordered to show taxi drivers more “respect”.
The Johannesburg metro police and members of the taxi industry met yesterday after taxi drivers complained that they were being unfairly targeted by the police.
Acting metro police chief David Tembe said: “We admit that the handling of drivers has been harsh at times, and I promise to engage with my officers in order to make them aware that they need to be respectful in the way they engage with drivers.”
One driver told Tembe: “We aren’t calling for the operation to be halted or shut down. However, we feel we must alert the [metro police] that we are mistreated by police officers and we are being unfairly fined and arrested.”
Of the 2004 motorists arrested in Operation Nomakanjani, 1300 were taxi drivers .
Yesterday’s meeting ended with an agreement that a monthly meeting between police and taxi drivers and bosses would be held.
[Story by Andile Ndlovu appeared in The Times]
The minibus taxi industry today called for full ownership of the Bus Rapid Transit system. “Government must allow the taxi industry to own BRT in its entirety,” National Taxi Alliance secretary-general Alpheus Mlalazi said at a press briefing in Johannesburg today.
The taxi industry had developed the routes the BRT system was targeting, he claimed. “The taxi industry is therefore justifiable in claiming intellectual property or goodwill on the taxi routes and taxi ranks.”
Mlalazi said if the government did not begin negotiating with the NTA on these terms, there would be protests. “In July if we fail to meet with the Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele, we will embark on a protest march to deliver a memorandum of grievances.” After seven days if there is no response we will hold a stay away if the negotiations doesn’t happen, it will escalate.”
Earlier this month Ndebele announced the formation of a joint working group on public transport to deal with the industry’s concerns over the BRT system and other issues affecting the sector. At the time, the government said negotiations on how the industry would become involved in the business side of the BRT system would take place mainly at local level, focusing on the taxi workers affected by the system.
The BRT system raised the ire of taxi bosses, who felt it threatened their livelihood. The industry also expressed concerns that the government had asked it to register its routes and then proceeded to place the new bus system on those same routes without consulting it. – Sapa
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Five Mfuleni taxi drivers were arrested during a routine traffic roadblock after knocking down a traffic officer working at the scene.
Senior Superintendent Luyanda Damoyi, of the Mfuleni police station, confirmed the arrests, and said the men faced charges of “attempted murder and interfering with police duties”.
The traffic officer was injured slightly and was taken to a nearby doctor.
Police and traffic officials set up a roadblock on the main road to inspect the roadworthiness of vehicles, taxi permits and check for the possession of dangerous weapons.
Drivers retaliated by pushing police officers and throwing stones at passing trucks and buses.
The five accused were to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
[This article by Michelle Pietersen was originally published on page 6 of The Cape Argus on June 19, 2009]
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The Arrive Alive website is asssisting the public in answering questions on road legislation. Earlier today the website received the following question:
18-Jun-2009
Question:
Please could you advise me on the legal minimum age of a front seat passenger?
Answer:
There is no age restriction for front seat passengers. If any reference is made to children the NRTA under Regulation 213 – Seatbelts states that children even under the age of 3 yrs must either use a child restraint ( not compulsory )if this is not available then the seatbelt must be used.
Visit the Arrive Alive website for info about road safety in South Africa.
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The Global status report on road safety shows that huge gaps remain in the quality and coverage of the data that countries collect and report on road traffic injuries. Reliable data on deaths and non-fatal injuries are needed by countries to assess the scope of their road traffic injury problem, to target responses to it, and to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of intervention measures.
Underreporting of road traffic deaths remains a big problem in many countries, and the situation is even worse with regard to nonfatal injuries:
The lack of harmonization of terminology and definitions between countries, and even between sectors within them, limits comparability of data. For instance:
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