A horrific collision between a taxi and a South African Post
Office truck on the R41 from Randfontein resulted in the death of
fourteen people. It is believed that the taxi veered in front of a truck
causing a head-on collision.
Millions of people travel in taxis to work each day, as South
African does not have a functional public transport system. Taxi drivers
are known to be ruthless and above the law when on the roads. Thousands
of accidents are caused by reckless, inconsiderate and downright
dangerous taxi drivers. While there are the occasional decent taxi
drivers who do respect the laws of the road, most ignore these laws and
drive without consideration for other vehicles. It is the aggressive and
inconsistent actions of taxi drivers that make traveling on South
African roads dangerous for all.
The
emergency and law enforcement personnel who have to attend to accident
incidents have the sympathy of the country. It is these people who have
to deal with the horrific scenes and clean up operations.
It is estimated that over 1000 people die each year on the roads of
South Africa, and while that is a significantly high number, the reality
and truth cannot be ignored. Suppressing the truth that people die
every day as a result of road accidents, murder, and other criminal
activities will not fix the problems.
In
South Africa 50 people a day are murdered, and it is staggering to
accept that innocent people are killed. The lawlessness and corruption
happening in South Africa are a cause of individuals being killed either
on roads and through crime. The world needs to know that the carnage
going on in South Africa is a direct result of the government’s
non-intervention. As long as the government continues to ignore the taxi
problem, because there are links between drivers and government
officials, the deaths on South African roads will never end.
By Laura Oneale
South Africa Today – South Africa News
http://southafricatoday.net/south-africa-news/south-african-roads-dangerous/
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