FleetWatch Online - 34-Wholesale Slaughter

This collision occurred on the N3 at the Bergville interchange at approximately 07H00. According to Traffic Inspector, Dave Steele, who took these photographs, the truck in front was parked on the highway in the emergency lane. The driver of the truck at the rear was fatigued and drifted into the emergency lane. Unable to stop his vehicle in time, he collided with the interlink, pushing it 20 metres along the roadway. Thankfully, no one was killed.

It's become a certainty in South Africa, as predictable as not winning the lottery - December will be a month of heightened mayhem and death on our country's roads. The fact that road traffic volumes swell significantly with holidaymakers heading off to various destinations is the prime reason for the increase in accidents, assisted in no small measure by intoxicated drivers. What part do trucks play in this bloody mess? Paul Collings analyses the 2006 'Festive Season' road fatality stats.

very year, FleetWatch is sent the official Department of Transport statistics detailing road accidents over the December period that involved trucks. Compiled by the DoT's Road Traffic Management Corporation, the statistics are in essence a body count of road accident victims who have died in collisions involving trucks, naming where possible the operator, the circumstances of the accident and where and when it happened. The stats report does not lay blame directly at anyone's door but in certain instances, it is possible to determine beyond reasonable doubt where culpability lies.

Here are a few examples from the document: "Two trucks collided head-on after one driver fell asleep and truck went to the opposite lane."; "Child fell from truck while it was moving."; "Driver of truck overtook in the face of oncoming traffic and collided head-on with another vehicle."; and "Driver swerved to avoid pedestrian and pedestrian moved in the same direction and was hit by the truck."

The bone-crunching numbers
In short, there were 11 more truck accidents in December 2006 than December 2005 and 17 more people died (a total of 146) than the previous year. These figures go against the overall national (Arrive Alive) fatality statistics for the period which show a drop in both deaths and the number of accidents. However, when one analyses the stats report, it is evident that of the 114 accidents involving trucks, only 38 were directly caused by the truck. That's approximately a 34% culpability rate, which does say something for the standard of our truck drivers out there. It also suggests that other road users are getting worse at sharing the roads with trucks...

December’s accident rate pushes emergency services resources to the limit. The tragedy is made worse when innocent children suffer due to adult negligence.

The departed
When it comes to accidents involving trucks, the worst hit are passengers, be they in cars, bakkies, mini taxis or buses. December 2006 saw 58 'innocents' die in truck-related collisions. Drivers followed with 55 casualties. Fewer pedestrians died in the period compared to 2005 - 29 compared to 36. Collisions with trucks resulted in the deaths of two cyclists and two motorcyclists.

The stats show that in the 114 truck-related accidents, there were in fact 123 trucks involved, showing how frequent truck-on-truck collisions are. As usual though, it was sedans that topped the list of as far as 'truck-crash fodder' is concerned, with 35 written off. Mini buses, bakkies and LDVs numbered 27 with one trailer and one caravan colliding with trucks.

The brakes failed on this tanker carrying phosphoric acid. It ploughed off the road at Van Reenen’s Pass, killing the driver and jeopardizing the environment.

The methods of mayhem
There are a million ways to die, the old saying goes, and trucking offers a few prime avenues. More truck-related accidents happen with pedestrians than with any other type of road collision. In December 2006, a total of 29 pedestrians died in 25 accidents with trucks. Some were the fault of the driver, but most were caused by the pedestrian, taking a chance, inebriated or just plain crazy.

Next on the list is head-rear collisions (20 in December 2006), usually smaller vehicles crashing into the back of larger, slower moving trucks. All a trucker can do to prevent this happening is to have top-notch tail lighting and contour markings to alert those behind him.

Third on the list for that period were head-on collisions, totalling 15. Obviously, truckers should never overtake if visibility is impaired. If they're being come at by a vehicle in their own lane...well, brake hard and pull over to the left if possible.

Equal to head-ons for kill numbers was 'loss of control of truck by driver'. In some cases it was hazardous road conditions, in others it was speeding and sometimes the driver just fell asleep. In total, 15 accidents occurred due to loss of control. Clearly, not all our drivers have the ability to react efficiently in emergency situations. More training is needed, without a doubt.

Bad driving and disregard for traffic signals resulted in 10 accidents, most caused by trucks turning into on-coming traffic and skipping traffic lights. Preventing this will take more than erecting cameras at every intersection. What's needed is more proactive driver management to eradicate errant driving behaviour.

Side-swipes are another frequent cause of accidents with trucks. Last December saw seven such incidents occur. Motorists need to be made more aware of the length of trucks, the speeds they travel at and what the correct passing procedure is. A total of seven sideswipes occurred in December 2006.

Fatigue remains a major cause of truck accidents and the stats report seven accidents directly caused by drivers too tired to keep the vehicle safe. Operators need to ensure their drivers are rested and legislation has to be passed making driver rest hours mandatory.

The most mind-boggling of all the causes of deaths involving trucks is 'passengers falling off vehicles'. Trucks aren't designed to carry people! Traffic officials should be pulling people-laden trucks off the road. Eight people lost their lives over December, falling off moving load decks.

And now the really scary news - Four people were killed in separate incidents during December 2006 by hit-and-run truck drivers...

The probability of truck accidents occurring on busy roads increases when visibility is reduced due to inclement weather. If drivers are fatigued, odds are they won’t have the reflexes to avoid an obstacle.

Arrive Alive...okay...dead
Whether it's fatigue, errors in judgement, impatience or incompetence, it is obvious there are far too many road users unfit to be behind a steering wheel or on foot near a public roadway.

Despite the millions of rands spent annually on the Arrive Alive campaign, the death toll remains unacceptably high. It has been stated officially that road accidents are the second biggest killer (after HIV/Aids) of South Africans between the ages of 18 and 45. Apart from the economic burden of road accidents, the very future of our country is being decimated through negligence.

According to Minister of Transport, Jeff Radebe in his official report-back on the December/Festive Season Arrive Alive campaign: "During the December 01, 2006 to 10 January 2007 holiday period, the number of fatal crashes reduced by 59 (4.13%) from 1 428 during the same period last year to 1 369. Road fatalities reduced by 81 (4.67%) from 1 726 to 1 645 over the same period. In short, we have achieved a reduction of 4.67% in fatalities and a reduction of 4.13% in the number of fatal crashes as well as a reduction of 4.5% in the number of vehicles involved."

With the main objective of the Arrive Alive campaign being, according to Minister Radebe, "to reduce the crashes and resultant fatalities as compared to the same period the previous year," the statistics suggest the campaign is gaining ground in the battle against road accidents. This is a debatable point. What about the other months of the year?

The Minister added that road accidents were due to the high number of traffic offences perpetrated on our roads due to many 'conditions', including; a poor public attitude towards road safety, lack of effective and consistent policing, poor road conditions, weak driving skills/bad driving habits, poor roadworthiness of vehicles, pedestrian and or animal presence on our roads, and rapid urbanization.

And what is government doing to remedy these 'conditions', all of which are its responsibility?

Granted, there's no quick fix and the DoT is busy with many new initiatives to make our roads safer and motorists more law-abiding. It's just that the public can't see any meaningful change. What is needed is a more targeted approach to the problem areas already identified by the minister. The private sector needs to be inspanned to help, to educate, build and protect both life and property on our roads. More can be done when people communicate better and work together in solid partnerships for a worthy common goal.

Road accidents cost the economy billions of rands. Imagine how better this money could be spent if people adopted a better attitude to road sharing and safety procedures.