Johannesburg - Forty-seven coffins were placed along the N14 highway on Thursday to highlight the rise in road tragedies and heighten awareness of the high rate of deaths on our roads.
The horrific crash on Sunday that killed minister of public service and administration Collins Chabane and his two bodyguards, Sergeants Lesiba Sekele and Lawrence Lentsoane, has again brought road safety into the limelight.
LeadSA used the coffins placed on the N14 highway to Krugersdorp to represent the daily loss of lives on the country’s roads, while paramedics and the metro police were on the streets to create awareness of road deaths.
LeadSA ambassador Yusuf Abramjee said: “This initiative is meant to make South Africa sit up and realise that road safety is everyone’s responsibility.
“We have to stop, wake up to the impact of our actions, take responsibility for that and change our behaviour. It is important enough to warrant inconveniencing commuters to make our point and to take them out of their comfort zones.”
He said the intervention was a shock tactic and the reaction had been positive.
‘ROAD USERS HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES’
Department of Transport chief operations officer Tiyani Rikhotso said the campaign was long overdue.
“The 47 bodies are a result of bad user behaviour. A combination of law enforcement and education as well as these type of campaigns will get results.
“We believe that road users have responsibilities in using the road, Rikhotso. added. “Alcohol, excessive speed and unlawfulness create untold mayhem.”
When LeadSA was launched in 2010, one of the main focuses was road safety; a campaign to get South Africans to drive with their lights on brought a drop in road fatalities.
Thursday’s activity was supported by national and municipal law enforcement and traffic authorities as well as civil society groups.
Abramjee said: “Every life taken on our roads is a tragedy and a waste, and we need to start behaving with respect for the rules of the road.”
Rikhotso said the 47 coffins sent a strong message to road users.
“The coffin is a symbol of someone’s last journey and, coupled with more enforcement, we believe we will get results. We congratulate all partners of LeadSA for a great initiative.”
The Star