Midvaal Local Municipality has intensified its efforts to improve road safety for all users, with a renewed focus on the inspection of scholar transport vehicles.
This week, Executive Mayor Alderman Peter Teixeira joined the Traffic Division during targeted road safety operations conducted at Meyerton High School, De Deur Primary School, and Randvaal Primary School.
Teixeira reveals that the inspections focused on verifying scholar transport permits, preventing the overloading of learners, and ensuring that vehicles are roadworthy.
The campaign also placed strong emphasis on driver education to promote compliance with traffic laws and responsible driving behaviour.
“The road inspections revealed several serious contraventions, including heavy motor vehicles and buses being found unroadworthy, minibus taxis operating without a valid Professional Driving Permit (PrDP), drivers without valid PrDPs, and vehicles being discontinued from service due to critical mechanical defects and were impounded,” Teixeira explained.
“In many scholar transport vehicles, we found children being dangerously overloaded, with some forced to sit on benches and even on car batteries that had been improvised as makeshift seats.”
“These findings highlight the importance of ongoing enforcement and awareness efforts to improve road safety for all road users. Our traffic division has consistently risen to the challenge and, over the years, has pursued innovative approaches to strengthen traffic services and enhance safety on our roads,” he said.
“Significant investments have been made in procuring mobile radios, vehicle-monitoring cameras, law enforcement scanners, and other critical support resources to bolster our road safety efforts.”
It is revealed that traffic officers are now equipped with body-worn cameras and traffic scanners, measures aimed at improving performance, accountability, and ethical conduct.
“These interventions form part of our ongoing commitment to protecting lives and making Midvaal’s roads safer for all. These road safety operations will continue across our municipality to ensure the safety of learners, commuters, and all road users.”
Saturday Star
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