First responders study the law
The RIMS will define who is allowed at a collision scene.
Come February, government legislation will mark a significant change for first responders.
By law, Road Incident Management Systems (RIMS) must come into effect in early 2014.
The system generally boils down to additional training for all officials, be they tow truck drivers, paramedics, police officers and traffic officers, before being allowed at a collision scene or incident.
Establishing a RIMS for the N11 was the crux of a meeting held at Protection Services last week.
According to Chief Provincial Inspector for KwaZulu-Natal, Dave Steele, also Commander of the Road Traffic Inspectorate in Ladysmith, the arrival of RIMS will ensure scenes are handled correctly.
The local RIMS steering committee is made up of officials from both Newcastle and Ladysmith.
During the meeting, one of the topics tabled was the so-called inconsistency between incident statistics submitted by Newcastle SAPS and by the Protection Services.
Spokeswoman, Joyce Gama said this possibly highlighted a breakdown in communication between the two.
Traffic official, Nico Moolman, believed shortcomings in the communication was that incidents are not always being reported to the Corporate Communication Centre in Newcastle.
Insp. Steele agreed to investigate these claims seriously.
Mentioning the need for better coordination this festive season, Insp Steele said RIMS went hand-in-hand with the Decade of Action for Road Safety initiative, under the banner of the United Nations.
The purpose of the programme is reportedly raising awareness for road safety.
“The Decade of Action aims to decrease road fatalities by 5 per cent at the end of 2020. We must seek ways to get its message across to motorists.”
Representing the South African National Road Agency (SANRAL), Carmel Michael spoke on Post Incident Assessments (PIA), which are expected to take place monthly.
However, this has not been adhered to, she explained.
Ms Michael said PIAs were created to consolidate and share knowledge gained by officials at scenes and situations, thereby improving future incidences of similar circumstances.
“PIAs are important for us to advance,” added Insp. Steele.
The RIMS committee concluded with a message for the community, to avoid drink driving and breaking the law.
