New proposed speed limits and laws for South Africa
New possible road laws and speed limits have been presented with the aim to reduce road accidents.
New proposed changes to South Africa's driving laws are being considered to better protect workers and those being transported on the back of vehicles.
The Western Cape Provincial Government proposed the changes following numerous accidents that led to severe injuries and hospitalisation.
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According to Business Tech, recommendations had previously been made for the transportation of workers. These include:
- Strengthening road traffic regulations, specifically around rural and agri-worker transport;
- The introduction of an 80km/h speed limit for open trucks transporting passengers in the province; and
- A possible national government subsidy for rural, public transport that would enable bus services for agri-workers.
Another possible change coming to South Africa's roads is speed limits. The Road Traffic Management Corporation presented a new programme to reduce the speed limit in urban areas.
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The new programme indicates that the speed limit should be reduced from 60km/h to 50km/h on urban roads, and from 120km/h to 110km/h on major roads. This comes after a recommendation from the United Nations that all countries should reduce their speed by 10km/h and reduce speeds to 30km/h in areas where people walk, live, and play.
Another proposal by The Department of Transport and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) looked at reducing the speed limit by 20km/h on all roads in South Africa.
The reduced speed limits will aim to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities due to road accidents.
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