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Drivers to undergo fitness tests - Peters

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Dipuo Peters (Picture: Sapa)
Dipuo Peters (Picture: Sapa)
Pretoria - Clamping down on unfit drivers would help reduce road deaths, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said on Wednesday.

"We believe that some of the people who drive freight and passenger transport on the ground need to be subjected to what the aviation sector is subjected to," she said in Pretoria.

"For us to meet the United Nations standards of a 50% reduction of carnage on our roads by 2020, we need to learn from the aviation sector.

"Those strict rules we need to apply on the road."

Peters was addressing a summit on aviation medicine training and research run by the SA Civil Aviation Authority, the Institute for Aviation Medicine and four institutions of higher education.

"Pilots undergo medical check-ups. We have many people who are driving our buses, trains and freight who are not examined frequently."

Pilots had to adhere to stringent regulations and they had a responsibility to their passengers.

"As part of our road safety campaign, we are introducing medical checks. It should be a requirement that people who drive public transport, long distances, are fit and proper," Peters said.

She said the drivers should undergo fitness checks every six months.

To further improve safety on the roads, Peters said drivers should take charge of their passengers' well-being, as the system worked in the aviation sector.

"In aviation, it is the pilot who warns the passengers to buckle up and if there are any signs of danger. We are starting to introduce such a system in trains so that the drivers communicate with commuters," she said.

"That type of communication is important. It allows the drivers to warn the passengers when they see danger. Aspects of the aviation sector are relevant to safety on the road sector."

A graduation ceremony was held on Wednesday for 12 doctors who achieved BSc Honours degrees in aerospace medicine from the University of Pretoria.

They were joined by 15 other doctors who received certificates to become designated aviation examiners, in line with international civil aviation requirements.

Critical services

Peters said in-flight health personnel played a critical role in aviation globally, augmenting the provision of critical services which would not be provided through other modes of transport like road and sea.

"Air travel is a lifeline for island states and land-locked countries for tapping into the markets of the world. It gives access to essential services like health care in remote areas with non-existent or poor ground transportation," she said.

"It provides humanitarian assistance during emergencies caused by natural disasters, famine or armed conflict, in a timely and expeditious manner.

"Air travel is also exceptionally reliable. It is as safe, as secure and as environmentally responsible as it has ever been since the early days of powered flight."

Since 1994, South Africa had crucial investments in the development of a thriving transport network and the building of infrastructure.

"For the past 19 years some people have been accusing us of not doing enough or little in growing the country. As they continued with their beliefs and negative comments we continued to build airports, railway lines, pipelines, our roads and harbours.

"Today South Africa's infrastructure stands at the top of the global investment competitiveness, attracting more business developments," she said.

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