Article: SA murders exceed road deaths

[Derrick]

You can view the page at http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/content.php/4183-SA-murders-exceed-road-deaths

South Africa is the only country where one is more likely to be murdered than to be killed in a road accident, an SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) survey has found...

 

[Ninja'd]

Both stats are actually sad.

 

[daveza]

And a lot of the road deaths are murders as well.

 

[Paul_S]

Data showed that the proportion of people murdered had halved in the 17 years since 1994.

So does that mean that the road death toll has doubled since 1994?

 

[Fudzy]

Both stats are actually sad.

Yeah

And a lot of the road deaths are murders as well.

Good question, where is the line between the two? I would imagine if someone who has something against you waits till you cross the road and drives over you, that's murder. But getting pissed drunk, skipping a robot and t-boning a car full of drunks. The intention wasn't murder but they both share a common result.

 

[grok]

Road deaths are sort of inevitable - a statistical probability given the amount of people using the roads. Murder on the other hand is inexcusable in a civilized society.

 

[LazyLion]

Road deaths are sort of inevitable - a statistical probability given the amount of people using the roads. Murder on the other hand is inexcusable in a civilized society.

and in uncivilised societies?

 

[cpu.]

Road deaths are sort of inevitable - a statistical probability given the amount of people using the roads. Murder on the other hand is inexcusable in a civilized society.

So SA have more people on the road than countries like US etc? As far as I know our death rate is amongst the highest.

 

[gregmcc]

Those are scary stats!

 

[killadoob]

and in uncivilised societies?

Which societies strive for uncivilized though?

 

[Paul_S]

Which societies strive for uncivilized though?

Pretty much all of Africa IMO.

Examples:
- No regard for the environment (throwing litter all over the place and not cleaning up)
- No desire for beautification (don't plant trees, lawn, etc. around living spaces)
- No respect for others or human life (me first or I'll kill you if you're an inconvenience to me)

Look at the any previously colonised African states.
They all strive to destroy what their oppressors left behind.

 

[Hemi300c]

As mentioned most vehicle accidents could be murder as well due to the roadworthyness of vehicles and road conditions and most of all the lack of law imposed to traffic.

 

[Nanfeishen]

So SA have more people on the road than countries like US etc? As far as I know our death rate is amongst the highest.

There are a number of factors to consider:
Developing country , so more cars added to roads each year than most developed countries.

I.E. 2003 estimate puts car stats at 108 cars per 1 000 of the population , wiki puts it at 159 in 2007 , that 50 cars per 1000 over 4 years with a national population in 2007 of about 48 million. I have no idea of what it is now, but this is all loaded onto a road network of roughly 16 750 km.
http://www.southafrica.co.za/about-south-africa/transport/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_vehicles_per_capita

Now add to all those new cars on the road the amount of new inexperienced drivers out there, and the largest factor being that people rely on private transport more than public, then accidents will occur.

 

[Albereth]

One of the problems with lumping numbers together is that it obscures some underlying truths. IIRC half the deaths on roads are pedestrians - sure, you get the odd idiot ploughing into joggers or cyclists but most of the pedestrian fatalities are caused by pedestrians running into traffic. Then we have the sheer scale of some events - a bus with 50 passengers or a taxi with 60 - one accident and many dead.

If you do look at the number of road deaths throughout a year, you pretty much get an even spread month to month. Yet we get blitzed with dire warning every holiday, road blocks, and the rest.

Perhaps the plods would be better served concentrating on murders than the roads. The big drive safely campaigns do not deliver the results that you'd expect and the murder rate is unacceptable.

 

[Fudzy]

Perhaps the plods would be better served concentrating on murders than the roads. The big drive safely campaigns do not deliver the results that you'd expect and the murder rate is unacceptable.

Yeah the stats are proving that they're as much of a futile waste as the war on drugs(tm).

 

[OzzieCapie]

Perhaps the plods would be better served concentrating on murders than the roads. The big drive safely campaigns do not deliver the results that you'd expect and the murder rate is unacceptable.

The drive safe campaigns don't work because even educated so called civilised people thumb their nose at it and don't want to believe that 'speed kills' and want to drive at 160km/h on roads that wouldn't be rated here at higher than 90km/h

 

[Albereth]

The drive safe campaigns don't work because even educated so called civilised people thumb their nose at it and don't want to believe that 'speed kills' and want to drive at 160km/h on roads that wouldn't be rated here at higher than 90km/h

If there was any value in the drive alive campaign people (in the main) would get benefit from it. But they target the wrong people and in effect are excuses for raising money.

As for thumbing noses at it, well, I guess murderers are thumbing their noses too.

The notion of speeds kills is also false - it is actually unsafe driving and road usage practices that lead to deaths.

If you think speed kills - step outside and see if you drop down dead from being hit by something travelling really fast - like sunlight. I somehow doubt that melenoma is a leading cause for either road deaths or murders.

I do agree that roads are in a terrible state, and add to that failed traffic control measures (traffic lights), and debris like grease, litter, glass, loose sand etc. and you'll find the environment also contributes.