Personalising Safety in South Africa – Taegan Devar

A recent article in the Sunday Times shared yet another tragic accident on our South African roads. A bus rolled down an embankment on the N2 and resulted in the deaths of at least nine people. As I write this, there is breaking news of another fatal bus crash on the R21 Northbound in which at least twelve people have died and 45 have been injured. The incident involved a scholar transport vehicle transporting primary school children.

In January of this year, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy shared that during the 2024/2025 festive period, there was a 5.3% increase in fatalities on our roads and a 4.2% increase in vehicle crashes compared to the previous year. This is despite ongoing road safety campaigns. Stating the obvious, she pointed out: “Our country has a long way to go to reduce the carnage on our roads”.

As we move towards the notoriously dangerous Easter period, MEC’s and authorities are preparing to launch yet another safety campaign focussing on vehicle roadworthiness, public transport and adherence to speed regulations. This is necessary but not enough. We know this because despite campaigns, the carnage is getting worse not better. Are we not guilty of madness: doing the same things over and over and expecting different results?

As a start to doing things differently, we must understand what underlies our attitudes and decisions about safety as South Africans. As a people we have a high tolerance for risk. We take risks everyday as we commute, at work and in our homes. Leaders in road safety need to acknowledge this and pivot from the usual gory communication campaigns, to making safety a personal priority, that causes us to want to protect ourselves and what matters to us.

 Behaviour change research highlights that we have to work from where people are at. If people do not view safety as a personal value, critical to them and their loved ones, they will not be motivated to change their behaviour, however impactful a communication campaign may be.

The decisions we take

We all take risks as human beings; it enables us to grow, innovate and strive for something better. However, when it comes to safety, risky behaviour endangers our chances of doing the above. Understanding one’s tolerance for risk, where this comes from and why we are inclined to take a chance or shortcut can help us manage our behaviour more effectively.

In terms of road safety – but this applies to safety in all environments including the workplace – the question must be asked: Why do we decide to flout the law? Why do we use our phones whilst driving, drink and drive, drive fatigued, not share driving – when we know these behaviours cause accidents, injury and death?

People’s decision-making is influenced by various factors. Personality traits like sensation-seeking and impulsivity can lead to risk-taking. Environmental influences, such as growing up in a violent setting, can alter one’s risk threshold. In the work environment, overestimating our abilities, complacency due to task familiarity and underestimating the seriousness of consequences can also lead to poor risk assessment. Overconfidence in equipment or PPE may create a false sense of security. Profit motives, whether individual (shortcuts) or organizational (higher risks for gains), further impact risk tolerance.

Another factor is confirmation bias which makes individuals believe their choices are safe: “I have done this before and nothing went wrong!”. 

Personalising safety – make it meaningful

The way to begin to counter these dangerous decision-making strategies is simpler than one might think. Research is clear that when people value something, they are more likely to behave in ways that protect what they value. For example, safety programmes in high-risk environments like mines are more successful when they emphasise the value of arriving home safely to one’s family every day, over simple compliance to safety standards.

With this personalised approach to safety, employees are more likely to be intentional about making decisions that result in them being safe: i.e. doing safety checks, wearing protective gear and following safety protocols. In safety leadership in high-risk industries, this is key: When employees hear directly from their loved ones how valued they are, the penny drops on why safety is so important. In terms of road safety, how can our national communication and awareness take this into account?

Partnering for safety

We need to work at all levels in a far more systematic and holistic way to get road fatalities under control. From government policy to school curricula and safety education in work and public spaces, we need to relook the whole issue of safety.

Finally, it is not the sole responsibility of government to ensure safety on our roads or in our workplaces. Partnerships between public and private sector – who, in my experience, specifically in high-risk industries, are really pushing the boundaries to ensure safety – are the only way to support South Africans to take ownership of their safety.

As KZN provincial transport MEC Siboniso Duma shares “We can’t afford more fatalities”.

Taegan Devar is an Industrial Psychologist and the Managing Director of Organisational Development company PeopleSmart (www.peoplesmart.global)

PeopleSmart is an Organisational Development consultancy working across South Africa and the continent. The company focusses on leadership development, the design of self-sustaining wellness and safety programmes, Women in Mining, executive coaching, and team building. For more information contact info@peoplesmart.global.