Should the interventions be adopted, South Africa will see its 60km/h residential speed limit dropped to 50km/h and its 120km/h limits reduced to 110km/h. “We also have, as part of the overall 365 campaign, a focus on speed reduction,” the RTMC said. According to the RTMC, the campaign would focus on urban areas where there are high levels of conflict between vulnerable users, such as cyclists and pedestrians, and motor vehicles.
RTMC chief communication officer Simon Zwane said the proposed speed limit adjustments are in line with recommendations made by the United Nations to reduce speed by 10km/h to bring down the number of fatalities. Zwane told BusinessTech that this decision was binding for South Africa as a member of the UN’s roads council, and the government is favouring the lower speed limits. However, he noted that authorities have not yet begun a formal process to change the regulations.
The Department of Transport and the RTMC had aimed for 10% fewer fatal car crashes in 2021 than in 2020, but last year saw a 5.6% increase in deadly road incidents. There were 1,295 lethal crashes on South African roads in 2021 — 69 more than in 2020. The RTMC highlighted that 2020 was an unusual year for road travel due to the strict lockdown restrictions implemented at different stages during the year. Speeding offences increased by 7%, despite South Africa’s population of registered vehicles only increasing 2% — from around 12,698,000 in 2020 to approximately 12,957,000 in 2021. The RTMC also explained the other aspects of its 365 campaign, including pedestrian safety, drunk driving, and seatbelt and restraint compliance.
Regarding pedestrian safety and restraint compliance, the RTMC plans to heighten awareness and educate the public through social media and billboard messaging. The RTMC has also partnered with aware.org to educate South Africans on the dangers and consequences of drunk driving. This is not the first time that the Department of Transport and RTMC have proposed reduced speed limits in South Africa. In late 2019 the two organisations proposed reducing speed limits by 20km/h, effectively dropping highway and main road speed limits to 100km/h and 80km/h, respectively. Residential speed limits would have dropped from 60km/h to 40km/h.
“Our road safety strategy has considered all these factors. Legislation is being reviewed to address and bring in place an edifice of various interventions to respond adequately to the challenge that South Africa is facing,” a transport department spokesperson said at the time. “Among these, a review of the international best practice on speed reductions, as is the case in countries such as Sweden and Australia. Due to the unique situation in South Africa, these cannot just be implemented without an impact assessment study.” The proposed baseline speed limit adjustments were never implemented.
