| Summary: | Thesis (MSc.)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: “Road deaths are no accident'. This is the slogan of Phase III of the Arrive Alive campaign
which was launched on Monday, 23 November 1998. Traffic as well as the safety thereof
should be the concern of every single person. Everyone is in some or other way exposed to
traffic on a daily basis. The problems that are experienced with the effective enforcing of
traffic regulations are extremely complex, consisting of numerous facets. It is also a problem
that is experienced worldwide. Quite a few attempts have been made and are still being made
in order to decrease the yearly carnage on our roads, both locally and nationally.
Our main transport routes (the N1 route) carry an extremely heavy / large vehicle load. It is a
problem that gets more serious each year as the number of vehicles on our roads increase.
Therefor one can make the prediction that vehicle collisions will also increase on a yearly
basis. The aim of this research was to identify existing geographic risk factors and human
factors on the N1 route. The N1 route was selected because it is notorious for its high
collision rate, and also because it is the main road transport route between the Cape and
Gauteng.
The number of accidents on a given track were expressed as the number of accidents per 100
million kilometers travelled, compensating for the different traffic volumes on the different
tracks as well as the different track lengths. According to this a track was labelled either as a
high risk or a low risk track. The seriousness of the accident was also categorized into two
groups, namely serious or non-serious, depending on the severity of the injuries that were
sustained in the accident.
In this study it has been found that bad road and weather conditions had no significant effect
on the number of accidents or the seriousness of the accidents. Although the route is not
rated as challenging, it is important to mention that there is a serious tediousness aspect that is
experienced over the long distances. Quite a few accidents seem to be contributed to some or
other human error. Although the numbers are not standardized, certain trends could be
identified when looking at the time of day, day in a week or monthly periods in a year when
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more accidents took place. Finally, it has been found that a GIS has exciting application
possibilities in solving traffic problems by implementing effective traffic management systems.
To achieve this, existing problems and shortcomings need to be identified and addressed.
However, without the help, support and co-operation of the public and authorities it would
not be possible. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: “Padsterftes is geen ongeluk nie’\ so lui die slagspreuk vir Fase III van die Kom Veilig Daar -
veldtog wat op Maandag, 23 November 1998 in werking getree het. Verkeer en die veiligheid
daarvan raak elke landsburger persoonlik, omdat elkeen op een of ander wyse daagliks direk
daaraan blootgestel word. Die probleme wat met die effektiewe toepassing van verkeersveiligheid
ondervind word, is ‘n wereldwye probleem wat uit talle fasette bestaan. Verskeie pogings word
tans op beide lokale en nasionale vlak aangewend om die hoeveelheid verkeersongelukke op Suid-
Afrika se paaie te verminder.
Suid-Afrika se hoofroetes (o.a. die N1 roete) dra geweldige hoe verkeersvolumes. Dit is
ongelukkig nie net ‘n tydelike probleem nie, maar !n aspek wat jaarliks toeneem vanwee die
toename in motorvoertuie. Daar is dus potensieel ook meer motorvoertuigongelukke. Hierdie
navorsing het gevolglik ten doel gehad om bestaande risiko-faktore op die N1 roete te identifiseer,
hetsy geografies of menslik. Die N1 roete is as studiegebied geidentifiseer vanwee sy berugtheid
t.o.v. motorvoertuigongelukke, en ook omdat dit die hoof padvervoerroete tussen die Kaap en
Gauteng is. Verskillende verkeersvolumes en trajeklengtes is in ag geneem ten einde die aantal
ongelukke vir elke trajek te bereken. Hiervolgens is die trajekte as ‘n hoe-risiko of lae-risiko
trajek getipeer afhangende van die aantal ongelukke wat op die betrokke trajek plaasgevind het,
uitgedruk as die aantal ongelukke per honderd miljoen kilometer gereis.
Daar is bevind dat slegte pad- en weerstoestande geen effek op die aantal of ernstigheidsgraad van
die ongelukke gehad het nie. Behalwe vir die eentonigheidsaspek wat oor die lang afstande
ondervind is, is die roete self nie buitengewoon uitdagend nie. ‘n Groot aantal van die ongelukke
blyk direk of indirek die bestuurder se skuld te wees, wat aan ‘n verskeidenheid menslike faktore
toegeskryf kan word. Alhoewel die syfers nie gestandaardiseer is nie, kon daar tog sekere
tendense geidentifiseer word wat daarop dui dat daar sekere tye per dag, week, of jaar is wanneer
hoer voorkomste van motorongelukke ondervind is.
Ten slotte is gevind dat daar geweldig baie gebruiksmoontlikhede vir ‘n GIS bestaan om
verkeersprobleme met korrekte en effektiewe verkeersbestuur die hoof te bied. T en einde dit te
realiseer moet tekortkominge in bestaande praktyke aangespreek word, en moet die onontbeerlike
hulp, ondersteuning en samewerking van die publiek en owerhede verkry word.
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