How are statistics collected?

1. How are statistics collected?

The Road Traffic Management Corporation [ RTMC] receives all the accidents that are recorded on a SAPS  CAS system on a daily basis. This information includes the CAS number, date and time and the location of the accident divided in provinces.  The following procedure follows then in the Centre:

• The SAPS report fatal accidents on an ongoing basis to the National Fatal Accident Information Centre at the RTMC.
• A printout will be made of all the reported accidents and will be verified against the accidents that were received from the SAPS head office.
• The Centre will then follow up accident information by phoning the specific police stations.
• If information cannot be obtained from certain stations, the area coordinators and provincial coordinators will be contacted telephonically and the unreported accidents will be faxed to them for further action from their side.
• At the end of each month all unreported accidents would be captured in the system.  As the accident data is received from the SAPS the system will automatically take the accident off the unreported list.
• The system also picks up duplicates immediately and do not allow the capturer to input any duplicates.
• The follow up of unreported accidents is an ongoing process in the Centre. 

2. Specific danger areas can be specified through this information.

We are currently busy to put offence surveys , fatal accident statistics as well as traffic volumes on a GIS on specific routes to determine the most danger areas.   Statistics are also used to improve hazardous areas (e.g. pedestrian improvements).    This information is also used to do Law Enforcement planning.  

[Information provided by National Fatal Accident Information Centre]