Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (M Eng (Transportation Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Civil Engineering / unrestricted

This study investigates community involvement in promoting and improving road safety in Blaauwbosch, Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. The aim is to evaluate communitydriven bottom-up approaches like the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). The central premise is that road crashes can be reduced if community involvement is exercised. Road crashes are affecting all the communities globally, and they continue to escalate at an alarming rate. The 2013 and 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Status Reports form the basis of this study by providing the facts and figures about global road crash statistics. Communities are motivated by the outcomes and impacts of road safety interventions in improving their well-being and development. The objectives of the research study were to document the community’s perceptions of road safety, to check how community members can be involved in reducing road crashes, and to specify the role that local authorities can play. These objectives were met with the use of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) as a research tool for data collection. The study found that the community members of Blaauwbosch perceive road safety as an important factor that affects their lives. There was also a belief that, through community involvement, road crashes can be reduced. The authorities also had an important role to play in reducing road crashes, provided there is political will and the required resources. The findings and conclusions drawn affirms that road safety is a collective responsibility and requires joint efforts from all the stakeholders. / Geography / M. Sc. (Geography)

Research report submitted to Wits School of Governance in 25% fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Public and Development, 2016 / The research investigated the high rate of road traffic accidents and the high mortality rate on the Moloto road in the western region popularly known as the Nkangala region of Mpumalanga province. The purpose of the research was to explore suggestions from the stakeholders on how to reduce road traffic accidents on the Moloto road. The research also aimed at discussing the relationship between the road traffic accidents and the road congestion. The research attempted to find the interventions suggested by stakeholders on how to reduce road traffic accidents on the Moloto road. The unprecedented number of road accidents on the Moloto road is a serious concern for both government and road users. In 2012 alone, 890 traffic accidents were recorded on the Moloto road. This research found that the majority of these accidents were caused by human behaviour such as reckless driving, over speeding, drinking and driving. The relative invisibility of traffic officials on the Moloto Road partly explains why road users engage in such behaviours. Increased visibility of traffic officials may encourage change in road user behaviour and help reduce the number of road traffic accidents on the Moloto Road. Congestion as one of the major causes of road traffic accidents can be solved by widening the Moloto road. Congestion can also be dealt with through the development of the Moloto rail corridor which is seen as a tool to remove vehicles on the Moloto road. It is also realised that both the government and the road users can play an important role in the reduction of road traffic accidents on the Moloto road. The government must develop infrastructure and the road users must obey the rules of the road. The sampling method for this qualitative case study was purposive sampling. The selection of respondents was done within stakeholders of the Moloto Road. Collection of data was done on the individuals representing their organisations. Data was analysed according to the accepted procedures for qualitative data processing. / XL2018

Formal education education is an essential part in the process of teaching people how to drive. Driving schools are crucial as they are the educational institutions tasked with providing the relevant education that learners need in order to become competent drivers. Because this education is vital in driver socialisation, it has to be structured and carried out in a way that ensures maximum affectivity. This education is essential in ensuring that learners acquire all the relevant driving skills. The aim of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the current formal driver education in South Africa - i.e. the K53 licensing system - in order to determine whether it can socialise learner drivers into being capable drivers. It has been argued in literature that young novice drivers are the most at risk with regard to motor vehicle accidents even though they have just received their formal driver education. They are most at risk because of their inexperience in driving, immaturity and risk-taking behaviour. For this reason the sample of the study consisted of new driver between the ages 18 and 23 with no more than 5 years experience. The study was conducted in Durban, South Africa. This study found that even though the respondents have driven for no more than five years 23% of them have already been involved in motor vehicle accidents where they were drivers since receiving their driving licences. Although a minority of these respondents reported being trained in most road and traffic conditions as well as in safety procedures (confirmed by driving school instructors), the types of accidents that they were involved in indicate that they were not able to use the information that they reportedly gained from driver training. This indicated that there is a problem with either what they were taught or how they were taught. A review of the K 53 licensing system by the Department of Transport found many flaws with the system, mainly with its design as well as loopholes that allowed driving schools to manipulate the process. shortcomings impact negatively on driver socialisation and driver behaviour thereafter. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, [2005]

This study is a critical policy analysis of some of the policy issues facing the Department of Transport, and some of the implementation challenges experienced. The policy analysis concludes that one cannot assess whether or not the Department of Transport's policies: and programmes are successfully implemented, because they have not considered or designed measures of evaluation or impact of any of their policies. Some of the policy issues and problems facing the Department of Transport still exist despite the various policy proposals, strategies or programs which they have designed and implemented. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Road traffic accidents are a serious burden to the health systems of many countries especially in South Africa. Research aimed at reducing traffic related accidents is of importance as traffic crashes are rated as the second leading cause of fatalities in South Africa and ninth in the world. Despite the extensive efforts into research and development of new technology, driver fatigue still remains a cause of vehicle accidents worldwide. Fatigue plays a role in up to 20% of vehicle accidents with many being serious or fatal. Numerous coping behaviours are employed by drivers to counteract the negative effects of fatigue. The most common coping behaviours include taking short naps, talking to passengers, listening to the radio, opening windows and drinking stimulants. Driving breaks have long been identified as an effective countermeasure against fatigue. Most research done in driving breaks has investigated the duration of the breaks, activity undertaken during the break and the frequency of the breaks taken outside the vehicle. However limited literature is available on the effectiveness of breaks in counteracting the effects of fatigue. The objective of the current study was aimed at assessing whether short duration breaks are an effective countermeasure against fatigue. Physiological, neurophysiological, subjective and performance measures were used as indicators for fatigue. Additional focus of the research was determining whether breaks were more or less effective at counteracting the effects of fatigue at different times of day. Twelve participants were recruited for the study, six males and six females. The participants were required to perform a driving task on a simulator for 90 minutes. The study consisted of four independent conditions, namely driving during the day with breaks, driving during the day without breaks, driving during the night with breaks and driving during the night without breaks. The without breaks conditions were similar except that they occurred at different times of the day, one session at night and the other session during day time, as was the case for the conditions with breaks. The driving task used in the current study was a low fidelity simulator tracking task. The participants were required to follow a centre line displayed on a tracking path as accurately as possible. The measurements that were recorded in this study included physiological, performance, subjective and neurophysiological. Physiological measures included heart rate and heart rate variability (frequency domain) and core body temperature. The ascending threshold of the critical flicker fusion frequency was the only neurophysiological measurement included in the current investigation. Performance was quantified by mean deviation from a centre line participants were meant to track. Two rating scales were used: Karolinska sleepiness scale and the Wits sleepiness scale were used for the measurement of subjective sleepiness. Heart rate, heart rate variability and mean deviation were measured continuously throughout the 90 minute driving task. Critical flicker fusion frequency, temperature and the subjective scales were measured before and after the 90 minute driving task. The results indicated that the short duration breaks during day time had a positive effect on driving performance; however the breaks at night had a negative effect on driving performance. Heart rate was higher during the day compared to night time and the heart rate variability high frequency spectrum values were lower during the day condition, to show the activation of the sympathetic nervous system which is characteristic of day time. The night conditions had lower heart rate values and higher heart rate variability high frequency values, which show the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system which is dominant during periods of fatigue and night time. Subjective sleepiness levels were also higher at night compared to day time.

Text in Afrikaans / The research is aimed at the problems surrounding traffic violations and crimes. Firstly, attention is paid to the extent of the problem. Secondly, a theoretical explanation of the problem is offered. This is followed by an exposition of the empirical study which is focused on the perception of road users in the Pretoria municipal area relating to four aspects namely; traffic legislation and traffic law enforcement, traffic violations, adjudication of traffic offences and punishment of traffic offenders. Lastly, the prevention of traffic violations and crimes and specific prevention strategies are conducted and discussed. The research report is concluded with specific conclusions and certain recomendations are offered to deal with the problem. / Die navorsing is toegespits op die problematiek random verkeersoortredings en -misdade. Eerstens word aandag aan die omvang van die probleem geskenk. Tweedens word daar op die teoretiese verklaring van die probleem gekonsentreer. Hierna volg 'n uiteensetting van die empiriese studie wat toegespits is op die persepsie van padgebruikers in die Pretoria- munispale gebied betreffende 'n aantal aspekte ten opsigte van verkeerswetgewing en verkeerswettoepassing, verkeersoortredings, straf asook beregting van verkeersoortredings. Laastens word die voorkoming van verkeersoortredings en -misdade en bepaalde voorkomingstrategiee oorweeg en bespreek. Die navorsingsverslag word beeindig met bepaalde gevolgtrekkings en daar word ook sekere aanbevelings om die probleem te kan hanteer, aangebied. / Sociology / M.A. (Kriminologie)

Recognising that road safety is a development priority in South Africa, this research project aims to compare the efficacy of the Social Marketing development communication approach with that of the education approach favoured by the National Department of Transport in road safety development interventions. The research is also driven by the identified need to explore the role of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in development. To this end, road safety "action kits" were developed using Social Marketing principles and incorporating the use of interactive technology. Educational kits using information supplied by the National Department of Transport were also developed. The efficacy of the two interventions was compared by comparing the results of a road safety inventory across three groups of participants. These participants were learner drivers from Pietermaritzburg aged < 25 years and with access to the required technology. The first experimental group (N=36) received the action kits, the second experimental group (N=42) received the developed educational intervention and a third control group (N=40) received no intervention. The Social Marketing group was found to score higher than the education group across all items in the inventory (educational, attitudinal and behavioural). The research concludes that the Social Marketing approach needs to be considered as an alternative to the current approach in road safety communication interventions. It also provides the basis for further exploration of the uses of ICTs in development interventions. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

This thesis presents the results of an investigation into traffic operations and driver behaviour at traffic circles under South African conditions. The scarcity of local traffic circles necessitated the development of a simulation program (TRACSIM) to assist in the research process. This microscopic program for single lane circles is based on event updates and was calibrated and validated based on local data. Because the acceptance of gaps is such a vital part of the operation of a traffic circle, it was examined in detail. Specific attention was given to the possible use of a gap acceptance model based on variables other than time. Since the gap acceptance process also depends on the gap distribution in the circulating stream, the effect of the origin-destination pattern was also investigated. Two existing analysis techniques are evaluated and verified for local conditions, improving them where possible. Generally these techniques under-estimate traffic delay at local circles. Observations indicate a difference between the acceptance of gaps/lags in the entering and circulating stream of conflicting traffic as well as a difference between critical gaps and critical lags. The mean observed critical gaps/lags are larger than in other countries, which indicates that delays at local circles will be greater. Gap/lag acceptance based on critical distances rather than critical times was applied successfully in the simulation program TRACSIM. A method is proposed to estimate critical distances from the geometric layout of the circle. Critical gaps are not fixed, but should vary with at least the conflicting flows. The investigation of the effect of unbalanced flows on delay, showed that the variability in drivers' critical gaps is more a function of delay than of conflicting flow. Entry delays increase because of an increase in conflicting flows or because of an unfavourable imbalance of conflicting flows. In both instances the drivers' critical gaps will decrease. A variable critical gap model only based on conflicting flows will show no change in the drivers' critical gaps if the conflicting volumes remain constant, even though the actual average delay might increase because of an unfavourable imbalance in conflicting flows. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1997.

Text in Afrikaans / The research is aimed at the problems surrounding traffic violations and crimes. Firstly, attention is paid to the extent of the problem. Secondly, a theoretical explanation of the problem is offered. This is followed by an exposition of the empirical study which is focused on the perception of road users in the Pretoria municipal area relating to four aspects namely; traffic legislation and traffic law enforcement, traffic violations, adjudication of traffic offences and punishment of traffic offenders. Lastly, the prevention of traffic violations and crimes and specific prevention strategies are conducted and discussed. The research report is concluded with specific conclusions and certain recomendations are offered to deal with the problem. / Die navorsing is toegespits op die problematiek random verkeersoortredings en -misdade. Eerstens word aandag aan die omvang van die probleem geskenk. Tweedens word daar op die teoretiese verklaring van die probleem gekonsentreer. Hierna volg 'n uiteensetting van die empiriese studie wat toegespits is op die persepsie van padgebruikers in die Pretoria- munispale gebied betreffende 'n aantal aspekte ten opsigte van verkeerswetgewing en verkeerswettoepassing, verkeersoortredings, straf asook beregting van verkeersoortredings. Laastens word die voorkoming van verkeersoortredings en -misdade en bepaalde voorkomingstrategiee oorweeg en bespreek. Die navorsingsverslag word beeindig met bepaalde gevolgtrekkings en daar word ook sekere aanbevelings om die probleem te kan hanteer, aangebied. / Sociology / M.A. (Kriminologie)