Introduction
Since the invention of the motor vehicle over a century ago, it is estimated that about 30 million people have been killed in road crashes worldwide. The first road crash recorded in South Africa happened in the evening on 1 October 1903 in Maitland, Cape Town.
The driver of the vehicle entered a level crossing through an open gate only to find the opposite gate closed. Before he or his passenger could open the gate or reverse, they were struck by the Johannesburg express train travelling at full speed.
The passenger was thrown clear and the driver suffered only minor injuries. The motorcar was badly damaged, (see photograph below). The enquiry into the crash revealed a remarkably casual attitude by drivers of motorcars towards level crossings.
Since this crash in 1903 to the end of 2003, one century later, a total of about 393,977 persons (1,31% of the world total) were killed in crashes on South African roads, mainly as a result of the “remarkably casual...
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