EMPD continues its scholar patrol training
The EMPD focused on reinforcing road safety awareness among learners, transport drivers and teachers.
EMPD officers visited primary schools in Springs to conduct scholar patrol training and driver vehicle fitness check-ups on May 3.
Upon observation, law enforcement identified the following factors as contributors to pedestrian fatalities and road accidents in South Africa:
• Drunk pedestrians
• Reckless or lawless pedestrians
• Distracted pedestrians
• Pedestrians ignoring traffic light signals
• Pedestrians crossing the road unsafe
• Poorly visible pedestrians
• Pedestrians walking on the road instead of on the verge or pavement
• Public transport drivers ignoring the speed limits and overloading their vehicles with passengers and goods.
“Over recent years of implementing this initiative, we have seen a reduction in school children hit by vehicles. There is more control in adherence to speed limits by scholar transport drivers because of the high visibility of scholar patrols.
“As a department, we are exhausting all resources to bring a change in the behaviour of all road users – from pedestrians, drivers, passengers and operators,” said EMPD media liaison officer Ignatius Maphike.
During the school visits, the EMPD officers also engaged learners and teachers in abiding by the rules of the road.
They imparted knowledge on what to do and not do when using the roadway. They also checked the compliance and roadworthiness of vehicles in front of the school premises.
The officers focused on driver, passenger and pedestrian safety, as well as conducting discussions on the responsibility of each person to ensure road safety, especially at schools.
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“This programme will continue throughout the year and run concurrently with other awareness campaigns programs such as GBV, bullying presentations and school searches at all schools within Ekurhuleni.
“Our social crime prevention unit aims to disseminate information to the community. With this, we want to ensure the safety of motorists and other road users, check the compliance of drivers and roadworthiness of vehicles and enforce the rules of the road and ensure road users follow them,” Maphike stated.
Maphike says the monitoring of driver fitness and vehicle roadworthiness has made a significant impact on communities. However, the challenge of pedestrians being hit on roads in urban areas remained daunting.
“Our social crime prevention unit can only address this by engaging communities on road safety and making the public knowledgeable on road safety,” he said.
