The OFFICIAL of the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA), Bobby Ramagwede, says that we have prioritized safety and fighting for road users in South Africa through the various campaigns we are on.
One of them is to put pressure on the car manufacturers to make the safety standards the same as the cars they sell in other countries besides increasing the price.
He also wants to teach customers that when they buy cars, they should not only look for beauty but also appreciate the safety features that come with them.
Ramagwede said this during a special interview with this newspaper talking about different topics.
Speaking of which, this week the AA, in partnership with Global NCAP under their campaign to fight for cars sold in Africa to be #SaferCarsForAfrica, released the latest study.
It revealed that the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro sold in the country received two out of five stars when tested on how it protects elderly passengers in case of an accident and three stars for protecting children.
These results are close to those of the Toyota Corolla Cross which also received the same results.
The campaign focuses on affordable and popular cars.
“Before I started publishing the results of car safety tests in South Africa, people would have continued to drive cars like the Grand i10 (which got zero when tested to protect the elderly) thinking that there was no problem. People would have been hit on the side and died. They would have thought it was just an accident. Now I say to people, in fact, your brother’s life could have been saved if Hyundai had installed curtain airbags,” said Ramagwede.
He said why companies want to charge people for something that the cars should come with.
“Safety equipment must be the first thing that is installed in the car. What you can add if you want can be leather seats.”
He said that they found that cars can be built in one place, but those that will be sold in another country have all the airbags, while those that are brought to this country will have a low number.
He said that when he talks to the companies, they say that the local safety laws do not apply to low-end vehicles.
He revealed that he is quietly buying two cars and taking them to Europe where they are being tested. The results before they reach him start at the companies.
He likened unsafe vehicles to boxes on wheels.
Ramagwede challenged customers to also choose safe cars.
He said that soon he wants to introduce a vehicle inspection program that focuses on Africa as it is happening in other continents such as Europe where there is Euro NCAP, Australia and Asia where there is ANCAP and America where there is Latin NCAP.
“The history I want to leave when I leave this position is to make sure that South African cars are as safe as those in Europe. The second is that the price of petrol has gone down.”
He said that the way he wants the price of petrol to go down is to review the tax of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) which is R2.18 and the general fuel levy which is R4.15 per liter of petrol which he said is unknown.
“We must make sure that the roads are in condition, the cars are in condition and the behavior of road users is in condition. If the roads are well maintained and well constructed, accidents will be less. The RAF works when you are in an accident. If I have reduced the accidents, it means that I have reduced the need for the RAF by improving the roads. If I make sure that the cars are safe and in the right condition, even if there is an accident, but not many are seriously injured and not many die. Even then, the pressure on the RAF decreases.”
He said that according to his calculations, if he includes this, the RAF tax can be reduced by 30%, which is approximately 70c per litre.
He said that the general fuel levy should not be taken unless it is clear what it is doing.
Ramagwede said he cares about road safety because accidents robbed him of his uncles when he was young.