TWO accidents yesterday sent warning signals about the state of South Africa’s rail and air transportation ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
The horrific head-on collision between two trains has cost a pregnant mother her life.
It was an entirely avoidable collision that appears to have been the result of human error.
But human error should long have been eliminated as a potential cause of rail accidents by the introduction of fail-safe anti-collision technology.
The billions spent on upgrading our transport infrastructure should have considered such technology.
Train Anti-Collision Systems, as they are known, appear to have passed our transport authorities by.
Such systems automatically stop trains that are approaching each other on the same line, preventing any contact.
The second accident, involving an Airlink plane which overshot the runway at George to end up on a busy tarred road adjacent to the airport, should cause as much concern to government.
It is time that the authorities conducted a full investigation into the cause of this airline’s growing list of safety problems.
The prospect of an air or rail crash during next year’s World Cup is horrifying.
It could take decades for this country to recover from the negative images that would result from such a tragedy.
But equally horrifying is the danger that South Africans continue to face on taxis, trains, buses and planes each day.
Commuting ought to be a safe, routine experience. But for many South Africans the trip to and from work is a dice with death in a speeding crowded vehicle with poor safety precautions in place.

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