‘Even a fool can get a permit and go and kill people’: Common causes of taxi accidents in SA explained
· Citizen
Three people are killed every day due to taxi-related accidents.
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Despite this, the minibus industry remains one of the most critical forms of public transportation in South Africa.
The number of deaths and accidents that take place on the roads caused by taxis has been increasing over the years, with the highest being recorded in KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo, according to Stats SA.
There appears to be a handful of major issues at hand, as daily transportation services provided by taxis are seeing higher fatalities on the roads. Nowadays, driving with taxis comes at a higher cost than just the taxi fare: risking your life.
National Taxi Alliance (NTA) spokesperson Theo Malele highlighted common causes of taxi accidents in South Africa and pointed out that any “fool” can operate a minibus.
He shared that “driver fatigue and behaviour” are major reasons for collisions.
“Long-distance [taxi] drivers are always encouraged to take regular breaks after every two hours or 200km travelled.”
“They have to do a pre-trip inspection to ensure that: the tyres are well inflated, and they have enough tread, that the spare wheels are available in the vehicles: the jack, the wheel spanner, and the triangle are also available in case they have a problem alongside the road,” Malele said.
The frequency of these pre-trip inspections and whether they are conducted by taxi drivers is unknown, and the failure to do so is therefore seen as a cause linked to accidents.
Malele suggested that inspections before trips are important for recognising anything wrong or out of place before taking to the road.
The state of older models of taxis that are often not as reliable or roadworthy as the newer versions is also seen as a common reason behind road accidents.
Drunk Driving
Malele said that both drivers and passengers are often found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol and being a threat and nuisance to other commuters.
“You also have an issue with the utilisation of alcohol, and we discourage that from our drivers,”
“We are trying to also discourage passengers from getting into taxis while being under the influence.”
“Because they too become a nuisance to other commuters and they give the driver a hard headache of constantly having to monitor their behaviour, or maybe to even rebuke them from time to time.”
Lateness = Speed up
Another factor contributing to taxi-related accidents on the road is passengers asking the driver to speed up to reach their destination when they are late.
“So, the passengers need to budget sufficient time when travelling because at times the passenger might be late for some reason.”
“They will then say to the driver that the driver needs to move a little bit faster because they are late.”
Ultimately, in response to the service being delivered, the driver resorts to reckless driving to get the customer to where they need to be.
“So, they [passengers] too contribute to that”
He also explained that passengers and pedestrians do not practice road safety by putting on their seatbelts, and that jaywalking is also a contributing factor to accidents on the roads. Along with the state of the country’s road infrastructure.
Take money out of the picture
Malele said that one of the biggest factors is money, which changes how the driver acts.
“I think the biggest one is the money being freely available in the taxi, that changes the behaviour of the driver.”
More money means more profit, but the less money drivers earn, the more frustrated and grumpier they are.
“The driver behaves recklessly in anticipation of making more money for himself at the end of the day, while disregarding other road users”
He suggested that removing cash from the picture and creating a regulated working environment would be more beneficial for taxi safety and those involved in the industry.
“So, the removal of cash handling from the drivers would actually play a critical role, because it should change their mindsets as well.”
He recommended that the government create a retention strategy to retain drivers while providing them with benefits such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), a pension fund, and medical aid. Along with a programme of induction and registration when employed as a driver, to ensure professional practices.
‘Even a fool can get a PrDP and kill people’
Malele suggested that there needs to be stronger regulations around who is allowed to receive a professional driving permit and the actual skills taxi drivers need to have in order to operate a minibus adequately.
Especially because the criteria to become a taxi driver is so minimal, a license can be obtained from any licensing department.
“If you look at the requirements of a professional driving permit, it does not come with any competencies.”
“All that they look for is the health of the driver, and there is no other tuition that the driver gets to qualify to be called a professional driver.”
“So that PrDP is very useless as far as we are concerned because even a fool can get a PrDP and go and kill people.”
The standard for public transport safety and the protection of employee rights for taxi drivers is low, which contributes to the soaring statistics.
Malele said that regulations and means to get a professional driver’s license as a taxi driver should be improved in an effort to combat the devastating rates of fatalities and accidents that occur in the country.