MEC Diale-Tlabela says road safety cannot be treated as a seasonal campaign or the responsibility of a single institution.
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During her speech at the Road Safety Practitioners Colloquium, Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela emphasised that road safety cannot be treated as a seasonal campaign or left to the responsibility of a single institution.
Diale-Tlabela called for stronger coordination, evidence-based interventions and a collaborative approach to reduce road crashes, fatalities and serious injuries across the province.
Statistics represent real people
The colloquium brought together government representatives, road safety practitioners, law enforcement agencies, municipalities, emergency services, civil society and private-sector stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and identify practical measures to improve road safety.
“Every road death is one too many,” said Diale-Tlabela.
“Behind every statistic is a family, a community and a future changed by a crash,” Diale-Tlabela emphasised.
Gauteng’s road safety response
The MEC said Gauteng’s road safety response should focus on safer roads, safer road users, safer vehicles and a stronger response when crashes occur.
“We are here not simply to discuss road safety, but to confront what is not working, share what is working and commit to practical action,” she reiterated.
Key priorities include ensuring safety in high-risk corridors and intersections, improving infrastructure design and maintenance, strengthening law enforcement and directing resources to areas where they will have the greatest impact.
Protecting vulnerable road users
Diale-Tlabela highlighted the need to protect vulnerable road users, particularly pedestrians, students, older persons, cyclists and public transport users.
“Their safety must be built into the way we design and manage our transport system,” she said.
“We must ensure that our interventions respond to the realities faced by the people who use our roads every day,” she added.
Three priorities
Diale-Tlabela identified three priorities for stakeholders: strengthening partnerships, using data to guide resources and making safety the test of every decision.
She called for stronger coordination between all spheres of government, law enforcement and emergency services, including deploying resources according to risk and improving crash-data systems.
The MEC encouraged members of the broader public to play an active role in building and harnessing a culture of compliance and responsible road use.
Public and scholar transport safety
She further emphasised the importance of strengthening public and scholar transport safety, tackling illegal activities at licensing centres, and ensuring road safety practitioners are properly equipped, trained and supported.
In concluding her speech, the MEC identified emergency responses as a critical road safety component, highlighting the need for faster, better-coordinated responses when crashes occur, from incident detection and emergency dispatch to trauma care and crash-scene management.
