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South Africans Against Drunk Driving is a registered NPO and PBO working to promote road safety and offer support to families of victims of road crashes. We hope you enjoy reading our newsletter. 
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The 3 'E's of Road Safety

The death and injury rate from road traffic incidents in South Africa is unacceptability high. In order to improve road safety, the three 'E's of road safety need to be followed. These are: engineering, enforcement and education.

Engineering

The structure of a road contributes to its level of safety. SADD support iRAP who work around the world to rate the safety of roads and provide a plan to improve road safety. SADD strongly advocates that all South African roads attain at least a 3 star out of 5 star iRAP rating. Road safety features that can be built into roads include, 'separation of opposing traffic by a wide median or barrier, good line-marking and intersection design, wide lanes and sealed (paved) shoulders, roadsides free of unprotected hazards such as poles, and good provision for bicyclists and pedestrians such as dedicated paths and crossings' (iRAP, Star Rating for Road Safety). A Safe Schools  project by iRAP in the Western Cape found that 77% of the roads around Sivile Primary School are in the highest-risk 1- and 2-star categories for pedestrians. SADD is writing to Minister Peters and the World Bank (who often fund road building projects) to ask them to make sure our roads fit these safety specifications. 

Enforcement
Enforcement is vital to ensure that existing road safety laws are observed. Any law is useless if it is not obeyed and effective and consistent enforcement ensures that laws are obeyed. South Africa has very good road safety laws but a very poor rating for road safety law enforcement. The World Health Organisation (WHO) rate South Africa as 3/10 for speed enforcement; 2/10 for drink-drive enforcement; 1/10 for seat-belt law enforcement and 1/10 for child restraint law enforcement. South Africa is rated 6/10 for helmet enforcement but according to WHO, there are 21 times more cars than motorcycles. SADD urges the government to dedicate more resources to traffic law enforcement to increase the ratings to at least 8/10 across all the laws in order for significant improvement in road deaths and injuries to be realised. 

Education
Education is the third 'E' and SADD works extensively in youth education as well as public training and awareness. The ongoing SADD/SAB National University Project is now in its eighth year and is being implemented in universities around the country.
 
Some of the comments from the universities include,
The students were very receptive to the workshop and felt that they could take this info back into their residences’- Rhodes University.
 
The training was positively received. Students commented on how they had not correctly understood BAC and what exactly a unit of alcohol is. The use of googles was enthusiastically received- the demonstration visibly hit home re the effects of alcohol...’- Durban University of Technology.
 
The workshop went really well, the student did enjoy the drunk goggles and learn a lot about drunk driving and how being drunk impairs your vision.’- Conlaures Residence, University of the Free State.
 
Statistical reports on the alcohol knowledge of the students also show an increased knowledge of alcohol, its effects and the units of alcohol after the SADD workshop.
 
Thank you to SAB for supporting us in this project.
 
SADD has also completed educational classes at the other end of the education spectrum at a school near Cedara in KwaZulu-Natal. SADD worked with the junior school pupils at Sibongumbomvu Combined School over the course of the third term to teach them about basic road safety. A pedestrian crossing was painted outside the school and the security guard provided with a Stop sign and reflective jacket for him to act as a Scholar Patrol during drop off and collection times. A specially developed manual for Junior School Educators was developed to allow the educators to continue the education in future years and is available to other junior school educators.
 
Thank you to the N3TC Toll Concession for funding this project.
 

Upcoming Events

  •  World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
SADD will be hosting its Annual World Day of Remembrance Event for Road Traffic Victims on the 13th of November in Pietermaritzburg. This will involve a remembrance walk in Chatterton Road. Please send us photos of your loved one killed in a car crash (drink driving or otherwise) and we will print these on to t-shirts to be used at this event. 
  • Help Caro go to the 2nd International Road Safety Conference in Brasilia
Caro Smit is attending the 2nd International Road Safety Conference in Brasilia from 17-19th November 2015 as a member of the "Global Alliance of NGOs advocating for Road Safety and Road Victims (GA)."
 
The organizing committee expects 1,500 participants: 1,000 international guests, including 600 ministers, 200 international NGOs, 50 academics, 50 United Nations reps, and 100 private-sector companies, plus 500 representatives from Brazil’s road safety community.
 
The GA will make presentations for the rights of victims to be taken seriously and are asking for:
1.) proper Post-Crash Medical Care
2.) rehabilitation facilities offered to the injured
3.) trauma counselling
4.) all crash scenes are properly investigated so that there is more likelihood of convictions 
5.) that the Department of Justice sees drink driving and other traffic infringements as the serious crimes they are.
 
Road crashes in South Africa are preventable. Our deaths and injuries are amongst the worst in the world. We all need to work together to stop this. Meeting with other organizations enables SADD to gain more knowledge and power to make changes in South Africa and for victims and SADD to be given a voice. #SayNO2RdCarnage
 
Please assist SADD to enable Caro to attend this important event. Click here to help Caro go to the conference. Section 18a tax certificates are available for the donation.
 
  • Cape Town Cycle Tour 2016

The Automobile Association estimates that in 2010, 252 cyclists were killed on the roads and an estimated 800 more injured. Cycle deaths are projected to increase as the number of road cyclists increase.

Support SADD by joining our team at the Cape Town Cycle Tour 2016. Funds generated will go towards SADD's work in protecting vulnerable cyclists by providing them with road safety gear. Entries are R1500. Section 18a tax certificates are available for the donation. Click here to join us at the Cape Town Cycle Tour
 

Did You Know?

Early intervention is vital in order to prevent young adults and children from making the wrong choices later in life. Statistics from the Medical Research Council (MRC) in South Africa show that road traffic incidents are the leading cause of death for boys, aged 5- 9 years and the second leading cause of death in girls of the same age. Road traffic incident deaths continue to be a leading cause of death, particularly in boys, and are particularly noticeable in boys in the age group 10- 14 years. By the time a child can drive, they are at an increased risk of dying in a road crash. South Africa has the second highest road crash rate in Africa, far higher than both the regional and global average.

These deaths are unnecessary and cause unimaginable damage to the families of the victims- socially, physiologically, financially and even physically. However, many others are left severely injured, as a result of a car crash, and will be a lifelong burden on the state and concern for their family. Alcohol is often behind these deaths and injuries. The MRC found that alcohol was behind 50,1% of road deaths and behind 59,8% of pedestrian deaths. Between 26% and 31% of non-fatally injured drivers in South Africa have BAC levels exceeding the country’s limit of 0.05g/100 ml.

Unless serious action is taken, road traffic deaths are projected to be the biggest killer of children aged 5- 15 in Sub-Saharan Africa. We cannot afford to let these lives be lost. 
Join us #SayNO2RdCarnage

You Can Help

An example of a road constructed to keep cyclists safe by separating motorists from cyclists. 
The security guard at Sibongumbomvu Combined School with his stop sign and reflective jacket to start his duty as a Scholar Patrol. 
Students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology with their SADD materials.
Drunk goggles at Rhodes University.
The drunk goggles get used at the Varsity College Pietermaritzburg NGO Open Day.
Philli at the University of Cape Town.
Nonjabulo, the volunteer translator, leads the 'cars'.
Kristen with the Gr4 and Gr5 class. 
The Gr3 and Gr2 class practicing indicating as 'cyclists'.
The children with the 'road sign' cupcakes at the party to mark the end of the project.
Members of the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety remember their loved one and why they started their NGO.
Print this sticker and put in on your windscreen. Make sure the petrol attendant at participating stations records your transaction. 
Copyright © 2015 | South Africans Against Drunk Driving |

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