SA traffic cops ineffectual: report

The policing of South Africa's road laws is largely inefficient, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) study.

The study found that South African traffic officials were lax in enforcing seatbelt laws and those pertaining to the safe restraint of children, The Beeld reported.

It found that only 59 percent of drivers and seven percent of front seat passengers wore safety belts.

It did not supply statistics for back seat passengers, but a 2007 Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) study reportedly found only eight percent of back seat passengers wore safety belts.

The WHO study found that South African law enforcers scored badly when it came to drinking and driving laws, and fared only slightly better on the policing of speeding.

Beeld reported that according to the Medical Research Council of SA, alcohol played a role in 55 percent of the country's road deaths.