 |
| Naeem Sheik, director of Asiphephe Vehicle Test Station. |
Proprietors of testing stations see this meeting as a first step to cut corruption in issuing of roadworthy certificates that have over the years seen a few rotten apples add to the one million unroadworthy vehicles that the Department of Transport estimates are driving in SA.
The meeting will set out the new standards that, among other steps, require photographs of all vehicles being tested.
Station operators will also get feedback on the results of audits by the SA Bureau of Standards, the national and provincial departments of transport, the Road Traffic Inspectorate and Special Investigative Units.
Sheik said periodic testing has been on the books for years, but has yet to be enacted.
Currently, only taxis and trucks weighing over 3,5 tons have to be tested annually, while buses have to be tested every six months.
According to Arrive Alive, almost half of the cars on SA’s roads, (48,03%) are older than 10 years and 15,81% older than 20 years. Sheik said in the United Kingdom, vehicles that are over three years old are tested annually. The UK has some 38 million registered vehicles — three times more than SA’s — but their road fatalities are over 20 times lower than in SA. Asked what the single biggest cause for crashes in South Africa was, Sheik blamed worn tyres.
He said this was where a proper road worthy inspection saves lives, because a faulty suspension system rapidly wears down tyres, which lead to oversteering in corners or blow outs.
