Byline: Thendo Buasi

24 October 2022

Family South Africa (FAMSA) hosted a road safety awareness campaign on Saturday, 22 October 2022 which started from Kinross Police Station to Kinross four way stop road.

The campaign was sparked by the high rate of accidents which occur frequently on the N17 road and other roads around Govan Mbeki Municipality.

FAMSA’s social worker student, Gift Sibiya pleaded with police and emergency services to be part of their campaign and support them in addressing the pedestrian and motorist with measures to be followed in preventing more accident occurring on the road and some cautions to be taken during accident scene.

“FAMSA prides itself in the ability to formulate programmes that contribute to family strengthening , giving them the necessary opportunities, relationships , network and support for them to raise their children successfully,” said Gift Sibiya the student social worker at FAMSA.

Emergency services advised the community members to be more vigilant when they decided to stop at the accident scene.
They were also informed that they should take serious caution and must never touch or move a patient at the scene until professionals from emergency services arrived because if something goes wrong a patient shall have full legal rights to sue them.

“It’s your responsibility to wait at the scene until authorised people come and do their job as you won’t like to pay lot of money thinking that you were trying to help,” said Mr Shayne, a paramedic from Langamed Emergency Services.
During the campaign, Road Accident Fund (RAF) matters were also discussed.

The EMS member further stated that RAF is only paid to the passenger as the drivers are allegedly seen as the cause of the accident, hence further investigation has to be conducted to prove that the driver did not contribute in the cause of the accident, only then can they be paid, however it takes time to the allegations on the claim.

Sgt Jaco Nagel from Kinross police station explained that accident should be reported within 24 hours.

He further advised motorist to stop drinking and drive as it cause more accident on the road and informed everyone including pedestrian to take caution of road signs and applying all road rules in order to prevent more accident happening on the road therefore in that way more lives will be saved.

“We are social workers but many people might be asking how social worker connect with road accident?

It is the trauma that makes us connect with road accident because many people are losing their beloved families which affects the those left behind,” said Gift.

She further stated that as Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), she is delighted for the presence of the participants together with churches that donated water for everyone to stay hydrated and Department of Road Safety and Transport for providing pamphlets that were distributed to the motorists in order to raise such a successful awareness based on road safety to remind motorist and pedestrian on road rules so that people’s lives can stay protected.