Deadly reminder of road-safety rules

The National Editorial

The death of seven people in a road accident at Nasuapum along the Highlands Highway outside Lae last Saturday has again highlighted the serious lack of attention to road safety in the country.
Among those killed were a primary school teacher, his wife, their children and babysitter who were on their way to Nadzab Airport to catch a flight back to rural Kabwum.
According to reports, the vehicle the family was travelling in hit a 15-seater bus travelling to Lae from Madang with passengers and bags of betel nut on board.
It continues a spate of accidents along the Highlands Highway and other major highways and roads over the busy December-January period.
At this time of the year, when schools are about to begin classes, there is a need for our children to be properly educated about road safety rules.
There is also an equally-important need for our drivers, many of whom get their licences without knowing how to drive, to undergo regular defensive driving classes.
The Road Traffic Authority (RTA) is tasked with enforcing road traffic laws in conjunction with traffic police.
We urge the RTA to urgently start teaching school children about road safety rules, and for compulsory defensive driving classes to be conducted.
The RTA has inherited the road safety role of the previous National Road Safety Council and, in conjunction with other interested parties, is supposed to continue to work to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities.
Its corporate plan 2017-2019, launched by former Transport and Infrastructure Minister Malakai Tabar last year, sets out very explicitly its roles and functions in regards to road safety
The reform and the modernisation of land transport is supposed be reflected in improvements in services such as public transport, vehicle registration, driver licensing, licensing of heavy goods vehicles and the checking of standards of vehicles operating on public streets as well as those imported.
Land transport remains the main mode of commuting for Papua New Guineans from as small a scale as walking on a bush track up to driving a heavy truck on a freeway.
Land transport plays the critical role of linking people with schools, markets, health centres and other public facilities.
It provides for movement of produce from growers to markets and goods to and from wharves and airports.
Land transport is the link between a consumer and a supplier.
As much as the Government is concerned about road infrastructure, it is also equally important to pay attention to who uses the infrastructure and the manner in which the infrastructure is used. After all, the overall objective of building road infrastructure is to enable the safe movement of people.
Between 2017 and 2019, the RTA intends to:

  • Register all motor vehicles in PNG and maintain records of registrations in a central database. RTA plans to implement this from the beginning of 2018 even if the central database is not available by that date;
  • license all drivers in PNG and maintain all driver licence records in a central database. RTA plans to implement this from the beginning of 2018 even if the central database is not available by that date;
  • re-establish driver training and testing;
  • license all passenger and goods transport in PNG and maintain records in a central database. RTA plans to implement this from the beginning of 2017 even if the central database is not available by that date.

RTA plans to continue the delegation and contracting of licensing of journeys with a province to the provincial government;

  • authorise appropriately equipped and trained stations and personnel to inspect and test all motor vehicles. RTA intends to review existing authorisations during 2017 and only re-authorise competent firms and personnel. RTA plans to ultimately maintain all inspection and testing records in a central database;
  • in conjunction with PNG Customs and other border control authorities, screen all vehicles entering PNG for compliance with vehicle standards;
  • employ traffic enforcement officers, authorise them in some provinces, and work with the police force to enforce road traffic laws throughout PNG;
  • investigate and quantify passenger transport issues, particularly in Port Moresby and Lae, and take appropriate action to eliminate unlicenced operations and improve standards of service;
  • investigate and report on all serious road accidents and take the lead on road safety matters including establishing and supporting a national road safety committee;
  • within the resources available to the authority, support provincial governments to provide road safety infrastructure on their roads; and,
  • Promote and conduct educational and awareness programmes to stimulate compliance with land transport regulatory requirements and road safety.

We urge the RTA not to lose track of these goals – for all of our welfare.