Brian Joss – According to recent statistics from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) child deaths are on the increase.
“If we consider the number of vehicle collisions that happen every day in South Africa, there is no doubt that it’s imperative for parents to ensure that their children are always strapped in correctly,” says Pertunia Sibanyoni, CEO of InspectaCar and newly appointed board member of Wheel Well. She joins Eugene Herbert, CEO of MasterDrive, an advanced driver training company, Peter Townshend, an expert in ethical and effective business practices and Charmaine van Wyk, Public Relations Manager for Bakwena N1N4 Toll Road.
“Child safety and the importance of properly restraining a child while travelling in a vehicle is something I am strongly committed to. It is unfathomable to me, as a mother of a young child, that a parent will even consider travelling without safely restraining a child travelling in a vehicle,” says Sibanyoni.
“I met Peggie Mars at the Women in Transport Conference last year, and committed there and then to support the Wheel Well organisation and its ongoing efforts to educate people around the importance of child safety. If we consider the number of vehicle collisions that happen every day in South Africa, there is no doubt that it’s incumbent on parents to ensure that their children are always strapped in correctly,” Sibanyoni continues.
Earlier this year, InspectaCar introduced a campaign to collect no-longer-needed car seats as part of a CSR initiative to pay-it-forward. An appeal went out to parents who own a child car seat or even a booster seat that was no longer used, to consider donating it. Dealerships around the country as well as the WesBank head office in Fairland, Gauteng, were the designated drop-off points for the pre-owned car seats.
InspectaCar collected a huge number of seats from various donors including WesBank staff, which were then sent to Wheel Well for the necessary checks and refurbishment. This campaign is on-going.
On announcing Sibanyoni’s appointment to the board, Peggie Mars, the founder and managing Director of Wheel Well, says: “She brings with her a huge amount of experience and enthusiasm We look forward to having you on board, ”These statistics from the Road Traffic Management Corporation clearly demonstrate that child road deaths are on the increase. We have no choice but to double up our efforts to curb it,” she says.
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Total road deaths | 13 528 | 11 844 | 12 702 | 12 944 | 11 676 | 14 050 | 12 921 |
| Child road deaths | 5 087 | No data | No data | 4284 | 3363 | 3 864 | 3902 |
| Child deaths per day | 13,94 | No data | No data | 11,74 | 9,21 | 10,59 | 10,69 |
| Children as a % of deaths | 37,60 | 33,10 | 28,80 | 27,50 | 30,20 |
⃰ Statistics provided by RTMC
About InspectaCar
At InspectaCar we are committed to providing a wide choice of quality pre-owned cars complete with excellent service. WesBank certifies our brand because our vehicles undergo strict quality checks before arriving on our dealership floors. This means you can buy with confidence at InspectaCar, where second-hand will never feel second best.
We can also provide your finance, insurance and value-added products like scratch and dent cover and warranty. We’re here to help make your car buying experience efficient and stress free.
About Wheel Well
Wheel Well is ideally structured to achieve its purpose. We are a registered Section 21 company: 2008/004093/08. We are exempt in terms of section 18A of the Income Tax Act: PBO #930041005. The Members of the Board are reliable, accomplished people who have solid experience in the sectors of Road Safety and Financial Administration. www.wheelwell.org.za
We are totally committed to achieving our goals and aim to be an energetic and highly capable advocate for Children’s Road Safety in South Africa. In addition, our objective is to be highly visible and audible to our various audiences in the course of our campaigns and activities.
Our milestones we aim to achieve are:
- To make people aware of the critical issues.
- To vigorously promote educational initiatives.
- To strengthen legal protections as they pertain to Children’s Road Safety.
CAPTION: The wheel turns: Pertunia Sibanyoni, CEO of InspectaCar, has been appointed to the Wheel Well Board.
