Durban - The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal calls for the roll out of speed cameras in an effort to curb the blatant disregard for traffic rules and to minimise the alarming number of road carnage's on the provinces roads.
Steven Moodley, IFP KZN spokesperson on transport, made the suggestion after sixteen people died in the province over the weekend.
On Wednesday , twelve people were taken to hospital after a truck overturned in Nsingisi near Kokstad said Robert Mckenzie a spokesperson for Emergency Medical Services in KZN..
Details of the collision were still being gathered.
Six reed dance maidens and a driver were killed when a taxi they were travelling in overturned and caught fire on the R33 road at Pomeroy in the Mvoti district, near Greytown on Saturday.
On the N2 near Umkomaas one person was killed and 14 others injured in a collision.
On the N2 at Paddock, a head on collision resulted in the deaths of two people while four sustained serious injuries.
Five people died and 17 others were injured in a head on collision between a light motor vehicle and a minibus taxi in Folweni, south of Durban.
A teenage boy was killed in a hit and run incident on Edendale Road, near Henley Dam in Pietermaritzburg.
Moodley said road carnage and attendant fatalities has been a constant drain on our economy.
"That coupled with the loss of innocent lives have plagued our province's roads and illustrates the deep-rooted problem of disregard for traffic laws. However, for this to be effective, other aspects of road safety such as awareness and education campaigns as well as proper road signage must also be prioritised,"he said.
Moodley believes that cameras will not only serve to monitor the speed of motorists but also to monitor and control other traffic violations such as overtaking on a solid line or curve.
"It is time that the KZN Department of Transport reinforce other road safety measures as done in other provinces. Authorities should strengthen road safety awareness and education campaigns to ensure the safety of all road users. There also needs to be drastic action taken against two of the leading causes of road accidents: drunk driving and texting and driving,"he said.
Moodley said law enforcement agencies must continue to impose harsh penalties on motorists violating traffic rules and regulations.
"Improving signage indicating speed limits, speed humps and other traffic calming measures can help to curb road accidents and promote an ethos of respect for road rules. Road safety is a collective responsibility and all stakeholders must work together towards safer provincial roads,"he said.
Moodley claimed that the conditions of many of our province's roads also need urgent attention.
He said many stretches of the roads are unmarked, have sharp bends, potholes or have missing road signs.
"All these pose a danger especially to drivers who are unfamiliar with the roads. Other measures needed are adequate safe parking and separate walkways or clearly marked pavements for pedestrians. Road safety should be prioritised and all efforts directed at curbing the scourge of road accidents which continue to make news headlines, devastating families and tarnishing the image of our province's roads,"Moodley lamented.
Daily News