Training to help prevent road accidents?

Driving While Distracted (DWD) is mainly attributed to texting while at the wheel, with texters more likely to have an accident than drunk drivers. However, there are other forms of distracted driving: visual, manual, auditory, and cognitive. Statistics from the US indicate that driver training on avoiding DWD reduces the number of road accidents, with trained trucking fleets reporting 25% less violations per month. Would similar training help in South Africa?

Noteworthy news in numbers

40 000: the number of fines issued in May by law enforcement authorities to those driving without a valid/expired drivers' licence.

20%: Sasria claims outstanding, a year after the July unrest, often because documentation is needed to substantiate claims.

253 442: new vehicles sold this year, showing an "astonishingly rapid recovery" from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Update on geyser compliance

The government gazette removing requirements for a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) in terms of geyser installations was published in June. However, a communiqué from the Plumbing Industry Registration Board to its members confirms that, "while SANS 10254 no longer compels you to issue a CoC in respect of geysers ... as Licensed Plumbers you can continue to issue the Professional Body CoC (to give) reassurance to your clients that as a Licensed Plumber, you are not only standing by your work, but opening it up for scrutiny..."

Hackers defend SA from cybercrime

A recent "hackathon" saw sixty young hackers developing solutions to protect South African citizens and companies from identity theft. The event aims to help young South Africans hone their cyber-security skills and provide participants with opportunities to enter the field, amid the dire shortage of security skills across the world.

Significant increase in fraud

Statistics from the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) reveal that South Africans are facing unprecedented levels of fraud. The risk of 'money muling' has increased by 97% compared to 2021, for example. Manie van Schalkwyk, CEO of SAFPS, says "Consumers are ... looking for ways to make ends meet. This makes them increasingly vulnerable to scams and schemes carried out by highly motivated, highly skilled fraud syndicates."

Domino millionairess

Lily Hevesh is a professional domino artist who creates intricate domino setups for entertainment on YouTube under the channel name Hevesh5, which has over 3.35-million subscribers. Lily's most-watched videos have been watched more than 50-million times, and Hevesh5 has an estimated net worth of about $3.44 million. Watch some of her work here.

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