Road safety 'results focus' - ready to launch?

Abstract

The results of road safety interventions in South Africa are disappointing and the cost of road safety related casualties and damage and drain on public resources are possibly to the upper side of the typical range of 2 to 3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The paper presents a systems level overview of South Africa’s institutional orientation towards achieving road safety results by considering the institutional management functions of ‘results focus’, coordination and legislation as proposed in the Road Safety Management System (RSMS) developed by Bliss and Breen (2009). These three functions, together with funding and resource allocation, promotion, monitoring and evaluation, and R&D and knowledge transfer, are the foundation of the RSMS. It is a strategic approach that sets specific road safety targets and the design and implementation of evidence-based and data-driven interventions and sustained efforts to achieve the desired focus on results by all road safety stakeholders and role players. The paper highlights the critical need for South Africa becoming more assertively ‘results focus’ on road safety. Strong strategic direction supported by effective and efficient coordination and collaborative structures is essential in order to address the status quo of road safety in South Africa. There is the indication that road safety-relevant legislation needs to be adapted to institutionalise ‘results focus’ in road safety governance structures. ISO 39001:2012, based on the RSMS of Bliss and Breen (2009), provides a relevant tool to achieve broad-based ‘results focus’ institutionalisation.