JOHANNESBURG, May 4 (ANA) – The Road Accident Fund (RAF) on Wednesday said it was alarmed by the past long weekend’s road fatalities in which 237 people were killed on the country’s roads.
The death toll was released by Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters and RAF Chief Executive Officer, Dr Eugene Watson, said: “As the caring arm of government whose mandate is to cover, rehabilitate and compensate persons in a timely and caring manner when they are injured in car crashes, the RAF wishes to expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who perished.”
Peters had earlier said the past long weekend was one of the saddest moments in the history of the country, and that it was clear that the attitudes and irresponsible choices of road users continued to cause a high number of fatalities, attributable in part to drunk driving, reckless and negligent driving, as well as speeding.
Watson said: “A senseless loss of potential, the effects of which continue to tear families apart each day. The economic and social costs are crippling to our country.”
The RAF has begun engaging with family members of the deceased, as well as providing funeral support and would be working on providing future medical expenses cover for those who qualified by and meeting the necessary criteria.
Further consultations will continue with the bereaved families after the funerals to originate claims for loss of support for dependents, and qualifying heads of damages for the injured as stipulated in the RAF Act, Watson added.
“In keeping with the Minister’s call to leave no stone unturned in ensuring all roads are safe, the RAF will continue promoting its ‘My Road Your Road’ road safety message nationally to encourage drivers, commuters and pedestrians to take responsibility for their behaviour on the road.”
The RAF has launched various road safety initiatives, including the provision of defensive driver training for taxi drivers, truckers and bus operators.
Watson added that through those initiatives, RAF hoped to ensure that the country did not experience what it had seen this past weekend.
“Road safety is the responsibility of all road users and drastic behavioural change needs to be prioritised to ensure we don’t allow this situation to continue unabated.
RAF has urged people with any queries regarding the claims process to liaise with personnel at any of their 98 hospital service centres nationwide or to contact the Call Centre on 0860235523.
– African News Agency (ANA)
