The investigation of the implementation of the national rolling enforcement plan in the Capricorn District

Abstract

Road traffic injuries negatively impact on the health and the development of the world’s population. The situation is not different in South Africa, particularly in Polokwane, Limpopo Province. In this area, over the past years there has been a steady annual increase of the number of fatalities in the national and provincial roads. This has necessitated the national department of transport to implement mitigating plans with the objective of promoting road safety. It is envisaged that if national road safety plan known as the National Rolling Enforcement Plan (NREP) is clearly defined and effectively implemented, the road fatalities can drastically be reduced. The plan provides some focus areas to be looked at in a way to promote road safety and reduce road accidents. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the NREP, whether it is consistently implemented; and to identify the gaps that affect the implementation process, and to recommend the mitigating factors that will improve the implementation processes of the NREP. A mixed method research approach was used in conducting the study. The first phase entails the collection of quantitative data through structured questionnaires involving traffic officers and traffic managers; while a second phase entails qualitative data collected through focus group discussions that involved traffic officers. The results show the extent at which the traffic officers are involved in the implementation of the NREP. To note, the findings are generalised to the national traffic operations. The study focussed on only one geographical area, namely Limpopo province in South Africa, and not on road transport operations in other parts of the country. Future research should expand on the nationalisation of traffic law enforcement officers.