It has been announced by the South Africa’s road safety team that every truck should be checked properly before it is put on the road. It has been confirmed that 60% of road accident is caused by trucks.
As one of the tragedies, at least 20 school children have died in a car crash in South Africa. According to local emergency services, it was crushed by a truck that lost its break control.
South Africa’s national emergency care network explained that the minibus was ferrying children from school when it collided with a truck and exploded into a fireball between the towns of Verena and Bronkhorstspruit, roughly 45 miles north-east of the capital Pretoria, Russel Meiring. “It was a deadly tragedy” he said.
In addition, an emergency services spokesperson confirmed the minibus driver had died at the accident scene and that the truck driver sustained minor injuries while some school children also sustained injuries.
An eye witness explained that seven children had sustained injuries ranging from minor to critical. He confirmed that they have been taken to local hospitals for immediate treatment. “Some children had been dragged out of the vehicle by members of the local community” he said.
Recently, Justice Project South Africa chairman Howard Dembovsky, a former police officer, says the country’s not doing enough to improve its poor road safety record.
“More people are dying on our roads than die in the Middle East in war-torn countries, per day!” he said.
“Drivers in South Africa are lawless. They speed. They drive under the influence of liquor. They go through red traffic lights. They and their passengers don’t wear seatbelts… Many don’t have valid licenses, their vehicles aren’t roadworthy… And hey, if you get caught by a cop for any of this, you just bribe your way out of trouble” he further stated.
However, investigations to know the cause of the collision which was taken place at the scene of the accident confirmed that the truck lost break control and collided with the minibus. Although, the exact number of children in the bus was not clear.
South Africa has been recorded as the most industrialised economy with a modern road network but with a poor road safety record. However, road deaths rose to 235 during this year’s Easter weekend compared with 156 fatalities last year which signals that a lot has to be done on road safety.
As a matter of concern, the fatal accident has nothing to do with bad road but lack of car maintenance with possible drunkenness. Many car owners in Africa lack the maintenance skill of making sure that every part of the car is rightly functional. Some car owners even lack experience in driving and so causing accidents.
South Africa’s road safety urges every car owners to act carefully in maintaining their cars. Also, they are expected to practise the road safety rules in order to avoid the reoccurrence of such accident in future.
