POLOKWANE – Transport accidents are one of the top causes of unnatural deaths in South Africa and Limpopo, with more than 10 deaths and 26 injuries reported on Limpopo’s roads this past weekend.
Review recently spoke to Dr Victor Loftie-Eaton, the head of Mediclinic Limpopo’s emergency unit, who shared his concerns about the number of road accident related injuries and fatalities that he saw on a daily basis.
“There is not one day that goes by here in the unit that we do not see a lot of serious injuries caused by car accidents,” Loftie-Eaton said.
“It is shocking that most of the serious injuries that we see here are accident related and can be avoided by driving responsibly,” he said.
Loftie-Eaton, who spent several years abroad in Canada and England, said lawlessness on South Africa’s roads seemed to be the cause of the accidents.
“Abroad, people obey the rules of the road and the punishments for traffic transgressions are more severe,” he explained.
“They work on a demerit system, where if a driver loses all the allocated points, they have to re-apply for their licence.
“The result is that people do not drive over an orange traffic light, never mind a red one,” he added.
As someone who sees the suffering caused by accidents daily, Loftie-Eaton shared some statistics and helpful safety measures with Review.
He feels that the ideal place to start with a campaign is by working with local schools.
The gr. R classes from Laerskool Pietersburg-Oos recently joined the team from Mediclinic Limpopo’s emergency unit to learn about the work that they do.
“When you teach children about the dangers of not obeying the rules of the road, they will hopefully be responsible drivers when they grow up and perhaps even teach their parents a thing or two,” he added.
Simple things like maintaining your speed according to traffic rules, road and environmental conditions can prevent a serious road accident according to Loftie-Eaton.
“It is not how fast you can drive, but how effectively you can reduce speed or get out of trouble, or stop, during an emergency,” Loftie-Eaton further explained.
He compiled a list of safety measures that could be introduced to reduce road accidents.
These measures include wearing a seatbelt, making sure that young children and babies are strapped into an SABS approved baby seat, never riding on the back of a bakkie or a truck, obeying traffic rules at all times, ensuring that the car is safe and roadworthy, never using alcohol or drugs when driving, and avoiding distractions like cell phones and loud music.
“Be alert, friendly, relaxed and patient when driving and do not drive when you are sick, angry or tired,” he advised in conclusion.
