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- There are about 2 200 crashes daily on South Africa's roads.
- Many times, trucks are blamed for collisions because there are so many on local roads.
- In-truck technology often shows that passenger car drivers don't know how to share the roads safely with freight vehicles. But who is really to blame?
South Africa has a frightening road safety record. There are more than 800 000 road accidents in South Africa every year, translating to about 2 200 crashes on our country's roads daily. All too often, fingers are pointed at trucks – with truck drivers being accused of driving dangerously or poorly, or both. But is this criticism really justified?
The facts tell a different story…
One of the reasons trucks are blamed is because, quite frankly, there are so many of them on our roads. Transnet Freight Rail volumes have been reduced by as much as 80% since 2010.
In 2022 alone, rail freight declined by 22.4%. This is due to vandalism, flood damage, safety, and maintenance issues. As a result, more and more cargo is moving to trucks.
Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association, says that the road freight sector's trucks now carry 80% of the goods moved in and around South Africa, as well as the goods for those countries that use South African ports for import and export to trade with various international markets.
The growing use of trucks for cargo transportation in South Africa is a trend that won't change. Logistics is a growing sector in this country, with trucks being one of the primary forms of transport. The South African freight and logistics market size is currently estimated at R410 billion ($21.53 billion) in 2023, projected to reach $30.56 billion by 2029.
But this trend should not give road users sleepless nights – because modern trucks have state-of-the-art safety features, and many truck drivers are highly trained professionals.
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Take City Logistics truck drivers, whose extensive network through South Africa has been developed over the past 30 years. Using a fleet of more than 1 200 vehicles, they travel over 4-million kilometres on average per month. And as Ryan Gaines, City Logistics CEO, explains, safety is central to the company's activities.
"We are deeply saddened whenever we learn of a road accident involving a truck. So, we take extensive measures to prevent them from happening in the first place. We do this via two means: we buy trucks with exemplary safety features and provide extensive training for our drivers.
"A continuous, comprehensive investment in driver training is vital. We advocate for companies to choose a reputable transport business. After all, a safe transportation record is good for business and the well-being of all road users," he points out.
The training programme at City Logistics – which supplements the extensive and rigorous training necessary to obtain an EC (Code 14) licence – is paying dividends. The company's drivers aren't only rated highly within the company; they're better trained than the average driver on South Africa's roads. According to independent data from Daimler's Fleetboard telematics system, the drivers at City Logistics are rated 9/10 (the industry average is 7/10).
The company's long-haul truck of choice is the Mercedes-Benz Actros, which has won the International Truck of the Year award no fewer than five times. Safety is one of the judging criteria, and – thanks to features such as Telligent Lane Assistant, Active Brake Assist, Telligent proximity control, Telligent stability control, Telligent brake system, Telligent roll control; a driver's airbag combined with a belt tensioner and front, rear and side underride guards – the Actros has earned the thumbs-up from the jury.
Yet another – often misunderstood – feature on the Actros is MirrorCam, which caused a South African road user some angst. The person vigilantly reported to City Logistics that one of its trucks had no mirrors and was thus unroadworthy. The person was fascinated to discover that the mirrors on the Actros have been replaced by cameras – which boosts safety (the driver can see what's around the truck so much better) and fuel efficiency, too.
Given this combination – of qualified and highly trained drivers behind the wheel of exceptionally safe trucks – it comes as little surprise to learn that, according to a recent study by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), heavy load vehicles accounted for 9.4% of all fatal crashes on South African roads. And the trucks involved in those accidents weren't even necessarily to blame.
In 2022, a report found that one of the leading causes of collisions on South African roads involving trucks was other road users, constituting 33% of collisions, such as passenger vehicles. These findings were corroborated by in-cab video footage, now widely used in trucks, revealing the exact cause of collisions. The report highlighted that "passenger drivers do not know how to share the roads safely with trucks".
Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.
