SA HAS one of the highest road accident death rates in the world. This has been proved again over the recent holiday season, with KwaZulu-Natal experiencing an 11% death increase. Reclassifying traffic offences to the level of rape and murder may sound like serious action, but there are unresolved problems with its effective implementation.First, our courts will be crammed with hundreds, if not thousands, of extra cases in an already overladen judicial system arising from our crime-ridden country.Second, 90% of our drivers treat road rules as guidelines, not laws. They decide at the time whether to abide by the law or simply ignore it. Mostly, they get away with it. Third is the blatant ignoring of traffic fines, especially by taxi drivers.After two years of failure to pay, amnesty is offered to those who agree to pay half the fine.That’s an admission of weakness if ever there was one. The authorities’ failure to enforce the law simply reinforces the belief that it is not necessary ...
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