Road Safety Archives - Page 6 of 6

A child reaches into a strangers car. The stranger is holding out candy.

Kidnapping on the rise in South Africa

Peggie Mars / 28/03/2023

"...as times become more desperate, and criminals more bold, any person has the potential to become a victim."

Daily life in South Africa is becoming increasingly more difficult. On top of the hardships that come with a struggling economy and loadshedding, there is another concern for South Africans to worry about. Kidnapping is on the rise in South Africa.

This follows an alarming trend observed during 2022. An August 2022 article from IOL stated that in 2022 kidnappings increased by 59%, while hijacking was up by 14%. In South Africa, there is a correlation between these two crimes, with 42% of kidnapping cases linked to hijackings. Kidnapping for ransom and extortion only makes up 5% of kidnapping cases in South Africa.

When it comes to crimes of this nature, the belief is that “It won’t happen to me”. But as times become more desperate, and criminals more bold, any person has the potential to become a victim. These days, having something as commonplace as a cell phone on you (and let’s be honest, that’s almost all of us) is enough to pique a kidnapper’s interest.

WHO IS BEING TARGETED?

In January 2023, the South African Police Service arrested 6 suspects believed to be part of a kidnapping syndicate in Gauteng. This syndicate is linked to 16 kidnapping cases. Police were thankfully able to rescue a businessman who had been kidnapped by the syndicate. During the arrest, five high performance cars, 20 cellphones and 30 GPS devices were also seized.

In the same month, four suspects from Fordsburg were accused of luring a businessman from India. They kidnapped him and extorted money from his family for his safe return.

With the rise in kidnapping cases, Gauteng is now labeled as a kidnapping hotspot. But the rest of the country does not remain unaffected. In August 2022, a six-year-old boy was kidnapped from his home in Cape Town, which was also only 400m from the Hidayatul Islam Primary School he attended. The young boy was safely returned but this highlights the fact that targets are no longer wealthy businessmen. In fact, the boy was not from a wealthy family – his father worked part-time assisting his ill brother-in-law run his small business.

In all three cases, the victims were fortunate in that they were safely returned to their families. But the scary reality is that there are many cases in which kidnappers did not release their victims, instead killing them once they were done.

Police find themselves scrambling to curtail the number of kidnapping incidents. But with insufficient police resources to stop the increase in cases, this is likely a threat that will remain prevalent for some time. How can individuals take preventative measures to avoid becoming the next kidnapping victim?

HOW TO AVOID KIDNAPPING

1. Be aware of your surroundings
Remain vigilant of any suspicious people or movements around you. If you get the sense of something being amiss, get to a place of safety or leave the area as fast as possible. Avoid distractions such as cellphones or music that may hinder your awareness.

2. Lock your car doors
It is good practice to keep car doors locked at all times, but this is especially important while driving in unknown or high risk areas. Caution should also be exercised at intersections. Criminals may use the stopped flow of traffic to their advantage, using it to limit your chance of escape. At intersections, keep windows rolled up.

3. Complete driver safety training
A driver safety program can help improve driving behavior in order to drive more safely. Some driving programs specifically offer training for hijacking avoidance. This can help drivers identify and avoid potential hijackings, protecting themselves and their families.

4. Change your daily travel routes
Routes taken often, such as routes to work or school, should be varied. This makes it harder for criminals to predict your movements. Taking different routes will also allow for less chance of them becoming familiar with your vehicle.

5. Inform someone of your journey
When walking or driving through unfamiliar or high-risk areas, notify someone of your journey. Let them know when you leave, as well as arrive safely at your destination. Sending a live location notification to someone will also allow them to see your location in real-time. Live location tracking will allow them to notice if something seems out of the ordinary.

6. Keep valuables hidden

Any items that may show wealth, even just a cellphone, should be hidden from view so as not to entice criminals.

7. Take caution leaving and entering your property
When entering or leaving your home via garage or electric gate, be vigilant of suspicious people or vehicles in your street. Criminals may block your vehicle or gate, cornering you in your driveway. Never leave garage doors or gates open longer than necessary.

8. Teach children code words
Give your children a code word. If anyone claims to be picking them up from school on your behalf, your children can verify this by asking them for the code word. Children should also be taught not to wander from safe areas, such as leaving school property. If they encounter a person they think is not safe, it is also important that they know to inform an adult as well.

9. Use trusted transportation
Never get into a vehicle of a person you do not know. If making use of an Uber, match the number plates to those stated by the app. Also enquire who they are picking up to verify that they are there for you.

10. Stay informed
With kidnapping on the rise, it is worthwhile to keep up to date on criminal activity. This is especially important in areas considered to be high-risk for kidnapping. Knowing the risks can help you minimise the chance of becoming a victim.

11. Report suspicious activity
If you see or experience something that may indicate a potential kidnapping, inform authorities immediately. If you have been kidnapped or an attempt was made, it is vitally important that it is reported to police. Many kidnapping victims do not go to the police out of fear of the kidnappers. This allows for kidnapping syndicates to continue their operations.

"...the best approach is prevention."

When it comes to kidnapping, the best approach is prevention. Anyone has the potential to become a kidnapping victim, especially in times where more and more people become desperate under a failing economy. Being aware, taking extra precautions and keeping yourself informed can reduce the chances of you or your family falling victim to these crimes.

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Equal Partnership in Parenting: How Fathers Can Step Up to Ensure Car Seat Safety for Their Children

1 Comment / Peggie Mars / 10/03/2023

Car seats are an essential tool for parents when it comes to keeping their children safe while traveling in a vehicle. However, the responsibility of ensuring that car seats are correctly installed and used often falls on the mother. This burden can create stress and exhaustion for mothers, who may feel unsupported and overwhelmed. Fathers can step up to the plate and share the responsibility of car seat safety, and here is why and how.

"Fathers can step up to the plate and share the responsibility of car seat safety..."

Why Fathers Should Step Up:

Equal Partnership: Parenting is a partnership between both parents, and both should share in the responsibilities of caring for their children. By sharing the responsibility of car seat safety, fathers can establish an equal partnership with their partners in raising their children.
Bonding Opportunity: Fathers can use the time spent installing and using car seats to bond with their children. Fathers who are actively involved in their children’s lives, including car seat safety, can form a strong and loving bond with their children.
It’s the Law: Car seat safety is not optional. South African law requires children to be secured in a car seat up to 3 years old, thereafter it is best practice to keep your children safe whilst traveling in a vehicle. By stepping up, fathers can ensure their children’s safety and avoid legal consequences.

How Fathers Can Step Up:

Educate Themselves: Fathers can start by educating themselves on car seat safety. They can read the car seat manual, watch online tutorials, and attend classes on car seat installation and use. This knowledge will enable them to understand the importance of proper installation and usage and give them the confidence to handle it independently.
Take Initiative: Fathers can take the initiative to install and use the car seat. They can take charge of the process and offer to do it themselves, even if their partner has always done it before. This willingness to take charge will make their partner feel supported and valued.
Share the Responsibility: Fathers can share the responsibility of car seat safety with their partner by offering to take turns installing and using the car seat. By doing so, both parents can feel supported and avoid feeling overwhelmed. This can also help fathers gain confidence in car seat safety and become more familiar with the installation process. By sharing the responsibility, fathers can establish a partnership with their partner and demonstrate their commitment to their child’s safety.
Make it a Routine: Fathers can make car seat safety a routine and ensure that the car seat is installed and correctly used every time they travel with their children. By making it a routine, fathers can establish a habit of taking responsibility for car seat safety, making it a part of their regular parenting duties.
Research and Discuss Options: Fathers can research and discuss car seat options with their partners to choose the right one for their child. They can compare features, read reviews, and consider their child’s age, weight, and height to ensure they select the appropriate car seat.

By being involved in the decision-making process, fathers can demonstrate their commitment to
their child’s safety and well-being.

"By being involved in the decision-making process, fathers can demonstrate their commitment to their child's safety and well-being."

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2 people leaning on the bonnet of a red car, making a heart with their hands. We are behind them, and they are looking at a sunset over the beach.

Road Safety and Driving Lovingly

3 Comments / Peggie Mars / 14/02/2023

"Children see - children do."

Parents have a duty to set a good example for their children. When we drive lovingly, we instill the message that safety is an expression of our love for them. We communicate this by teaching them road safety rules, but also by consistently upholding high safety standards, ourselves. To drive lovingly is not only to do so on our good parenting days. It is still important on days when our toddler fights against their car seat, when it feels inconvenient, or when your
destination is “just around the corner”.

SET A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR ROAD SAFETY

Children learn a lot through observation. When we obey the laws and rules of the road – inside of a vehicle and out – we set both a standard and an attitude for our children.

Inconsistency in following rules, as well as the dismissal of them only serves to diminish the importance of these rules. For example, only wearing a seatbelt in some situations and not others undermine the purpose of this rule. This is true for other rules as well. Repetition and consistency of rules in and around vehicles is an effective way of teaching road safety. It minimises the chance that your child will become injured or killed in a road-related incident.

Also, controlling our emotions and the way we react to other drivers on the road is equally important. It sets in place the fundamental building blocks of creating both respect and awareness of others on the road.

BE IN THE KNOW

When it comes to ensuring your children are safe, it is important that as parents we are equipped with the correct information. This allows us to make educated decisions relating to our children’s safety on the road. This ranges from familiarity with road safety laws to choosing the correct size car seat.

Many organisations, such as Wheel Well, exist to help parents in becoming informed on the topic of road safety for children. They also offer resources to guide you through aspects of road safety that you had perhaps not even considered.

BE PRESENT WHILE DRIVING

Nowadays we live in a world that is constantly fighting for our attention in many ways. This is also true while driving. Between mobile phone notifications, setting a route on your GPS or talking to passengers in the car, losing focus for a second could result in a car crash. Distractions while driving are one of the greatest contributors to car crashes.

Texting while driving accounts for almost 25% of all car crashes in South Africa. This is a greater contributor to car crashes than driving drunk. Yet many people are quick to casually dismiss the risk in an age of fast communication.

Drunk driving and driving while fatigued are also huge contributors to car crashes. We are responsible for the passengers whom we carry in our vehicle. Our responsibility to them and other users on the road is to ensure we are in a clear and focused state of mind before getting behind the wheel.

SAFER VEHICLES, SAFER PASSENGERS

In a tough economy, many people find themselves under immense financial pressure. Many must make adjustments to their lives to try and stretch each paycheck further. It may be tempting to put off vehicle maintenance and tyre changes which often come at a significant cost. But compromising safety should never be an option. This is especially true within the context of road safety, where the consequences can be fatal.

Other drivers may feel that although routine maintenance is due, it may seem that the vehicle could keep going a little bit longer. Yet routine maintenance allows for circumvention and prevention of potential risks or weaknesses. Maintenance stops smaller problems from progressing to bigger, life-threatening problems.

DRIVE LOVINGLY FOR EVERYONE

Observing road safety is not just to keep us and our families safe on the roads, but others as well. Defensive driving, with respect for other users on the road, means that all cars can navigate our roads with as few risks as possible.

When driving in residential areas or near schools, it is important to drive at a speed and with awareness of child pedestrians. as well as their often unpredictable nature. With much smaller bodies and impulsive nature, they are less visible on and around roads compared to adults. Extra precautions should be taken when driving in areas where there are children present. Around schools, it is best practice to drive no faster than 30km/hr.

When driving with other children who are not your own, ensure you offer them the same safety precautions as you would your children. Safe driving, while being present and the children correctly restrained. Road safety is a human right that must be afforded to all children.

While we highlight this during February’s “Month of Love”, driving lovingly should be an attitude to adopt for all months. Your children may be too young to understand the whys and hows of road safety.

But our attitudes and behaviours will cement the importance of road safety in their young minds. And a toddler car seat tantrum today is something your child will look back upon in the future. They will know you upheld these standards, set these rules and restrained them in this way because you care for them.

They will know it was out of your love for them.

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Road Safety Is A Human Right for Children

2 Comments / Peggie Mars / 13/07/2022

Road Safety is a Human Right for Children

Road safety us a human right for children. As parents, we always seek to do what is best for our children. However, even parents who may think of themselves as responsible may be guilty of taking a relaxed stance and cutting corners when it comes to ensuring that their children are safe on the road, whether that be within a vehicle or as a pedestrian. On 21 March, as we celebrate Human Rights Day, let us acknowledge that road safety for our children is not just a parental duty, but a basic Human Right owed to them.

In 2020, a year during which there was a decrease in the number of vehicles on the road on account of the pandemic, a staggering 2858 children lost their lives on the road in South Africa. In a 2018 report by the World Health Organization, traffic-related incidents are now the leading cause of death in people aged 5-29 years old, with the highest numbers seen in developing countries. As it stands, South African roads are some of the most dangerous in the world.

"As it stands, South African roads are some of the most dangerous in the world."

When considering the risks involved, we must equip ourselves with the required knowledge for us to effectively protect our children. It is not just our duty as parents, but our child’s human right to safety. As we teach and guide them through life’s many lessons, it is vitally important that road and car safety forms part of their fundamental knowledge. As we occasionally rely on others to care for our children too, we need to instill in our children safety-first behavior so that even when they are away from us, they uphold a safety standard in and around vehicles. For these reasons, parents need to lead by example. Many of us are guilty of slipping into complacency, or having confidence in our driving skills while overlooking the fact that many crashes are caused by other drivers on the road whom we have no control over. At some point, I think we have all been there, but this is a call for you to do better for your children. Live by the standard that you wish to impart on them.

As parents, consistency is key in keeping our children safe. Regardless of the length of the trip, perceived safety and familiarity of a regularly driven route or the frustration of trying to wrestle a fussy toddler into a car seat, protecting our children should always be our number one priority.

However, to reiterate some of the important points:

Because vehicles are built for adults, to ensure the safety of our children, at the very least, they should always wear a seatbelt. However, seatbelts are designed for adults therefore a car seat or else seatbelt restraint that is suitable to their size will make riding in a vehicle that much safer for them.
Children should never be seated on an adult’s lap, as this is incredibly dangerous. In a car crash, an adult body can easily crush that of a child
From a young age, teach them precautions as a pedestrian – looking right and left before, holding an adult’s hand to cross the road, staying on the sidewalk safely out of the road, how to use zebra crossings, and so on. This will not only keep them safe but will also create an awareness of the movement of traffic. As they get older, reinforced road safety rules will become second nature to them, allowing them to make judgements carefully.
If your child walks to and from school, high-visibility clothing will make them more noticeable to drivers. Find out if any older children walk the same route and perhaps even organise for children to walk together as a group.
Regularly discussing road safety with your children will not only remind them of road safety rules but will also serve as a reminder to us as parents that we must lead by example and with consistency. Educational tools could help facilitate the discussion, such as interactive speaking books which help to engage young minds.

Children, and especially those who are younger, cannot comprehend the potential risks of vehicles and traffic, therefore their safety in this regard is our responsibility. While we can provide them with knowledge and tools that can help them understand and avoid risks, ultimately their safety is our parental obligation to them and it should never be left in their hands. We owe our children safety and protection, both as parents but also as fellow – infinitely more vulnerable – human beings who deserve, and have a right, to a long, happy and safe life

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