DEKRA Committed to Promoting Road Safety in South Africa

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Jan 28, 2015, 04:36 ET

STUTTGART, Germany and PRETORIA, South Africa, January 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Working lunch with representatives from industry, administration and politics

Board Member Klinke: "Benefit from European experience"
EU ambassador: "South Africa seen as an example for the continent"
DEKRA inspection stations in South Africa since 2008

"Road safety is a key factor for the development of emerging economies. Safe mobility will be crucial for economic momentum here in South Africa." Addressing these words to representatives from South African politics, public administration and automotive industry in Pretoria, Clemens Klinke, member of the DEKRA SE Management Board and Head of the Automotive business unit, called for the issue of road safety to be given high priority.

The working lunch hosted by the EU ambassador in South Africa, Roeland van de Geer, was attended by representatives from the South African Department of Transport, the Parliament and the South African automotive industry, among others. The focus was on the presentation of DEKRA's 2014 European Road Safety Report dealing with urban mobility.

DEKRA Board Member Klinke outlined the positive development of the past decades in Europe regarding road fatalitites. "Obviously, not every single measure can be directly transferred to a country like South Africa. However, since the 1970s Europe has come a long way, and from this experience others can benefit. For instance, vehicle inspection is an essential key to improving road safety."

His presentation was followed by a lively discussion that showed how serious the topic of road safety is in South Africa: In December 2014 alone, more than 1,100 people were killed on the roads.

EU ambassador Roland van de Geer also emphasised that the level of 16,000 traffic fatalities per year was no longer acceptable for South Africa. He also highlighted the importance of the country for the continent as a whole. "South Africa serves as an example. The EU will take this event as an opportunity to work together with the South African ministries and DEKRA to improve road safety."

This year, DEKRA can look back on 90 years of commitment to road safety. "Our founding fathers set out the goal of improving safety on the roads in our articles of association in 1925. We are committed to this goal - not only in Germany and Europe, but in all of the more than 50 countries around the world in which DEKRA operates," said Clemens Klinke. The expert organisation has been present in South Africa with inspection stations since 2008.

About DEKRA

DEKRA SE is one of the world's leading expert organisations and currently runs activities in more than 50 countries on all five continents. About 35,000 employees are committed to ensuring long-term safety, quality and environmental protection. The DEKRA Business Units "Automotive", "Industrial" and "Personnel" provide professional and innovative services in the fields of vehicle inspection, expertise, claims services, system certification, product testing & certification, industrial & construction inspection, consulting, qualification and temporary work. In 2014, DEKRA has generated sales totalling approximately 2.5 billion Euros.

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Wolfgang Sigloch
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SOURCE DEKRA SE