06/12/2024
National Road Traffic Amendment Bill
The National Road Traffic Amendment Bill amends the National Road Traffic Act of 1996 with the aim of improving road safety in South Africa.
This is seen as needed as so far this year (2024), 10,154 people have died on South African roads, with the figure expected to climb as the busy festive season approaches.
The Bill “provides for a far-reaching, new dispensation in road safety including fitness of drivers and vehicles, the transportation of certain dangerous goods, the general speed limit and the integrity of the issuing of vehicle and driver’s licences,” said the Presidency.
“The Bill gives effect to the National Road Safety Strategy, which has five pillars: road safety management; safer roads and mobility; safer vehicles; safer road users, and post-crash response,” added the Presidency.
Key provisions of the Bill:
- The bill establishes a framework for suspending or canceling the registration of driving license examiners and vehicle examiners. This measure aims to enhance the integrity of the licensing process.
Driving schools and testing centers will be registered and graded to ensure quality and standardised practices.
- The Bill disqualifies vehicle examiners who have any financial interests in the motor vehicle industry, including manufacturing, selling, or repairing vehicles. This disqualification extends to financial interests held by the examiner’s spouse or partner.
- Traffic officers, traffic wardens, and NaTIS officials are also disqualified if they have direct or indirect financial interests in road transport service businesses. This includes financial interests held by their spouse or partner.
- The Bill outlines offences related to learner’s licenses and introduces new penalties for individuals assisting driver license applicants in committing offences, including fraud.
- The legislation mandates the registration of individuals engaged in building or modifying vehicle bodies on chassis and chassis cabs, as well as those who import new buses or midibuses. This measure aims to regulate these activities and ensure safety standards.
- The legislation emphasises the responsibility of emergency services to respond promptly to road incidents. This includes both state and private emergency medical services and those responding to disasters under the Disaster Management Act.
- Drivers of emergency vehicles and those responding to disasters are restricted to a speed limit of 20km/h when passing through intersections while performing their duties.
Now the last one is interesting, how does one interpret this, this will increase ones response times drastically, we all for safety first and when approaching any intersection due care is taken to ensure the safety of all road users. But this law doesn't state what type of intersection or state of intersection, for example red robots, which yes, you come to a stop and proceed when safe to do so, but to reduce your speed to 20km/h through all intersections, thats every cross street will negatively affect the time it takes to get to the patients side, nevermind all emergency services(SAPS, Fire, Traffic) taking even longer to get to the scene. JP Smith care to share your thoughts on this?
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/803021/ramaphosa-signs-two-new-bills-into-law/?fbclid=IwY2xjawG-Oi9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHV40JojCR2N4gKr3ZLjd61CeI4H44GtfwI5s8LB-2z4bqUmjvSNwuPrNGg_aem_U0GSZCXIiagPYKcbqAJPoQ
President Cyril Ramaphosa has assented two new bills, which includes far-reaching road safety reforms.
