Press release -
Transport Minister meets Discovery Insure leadership to discuss road safety
Minister of Transport Ms. Dipuo Peters has welcomed private sector and civil society initiatives aimed at harnessing road safety programmes and interventions in South Africa.
Minister Peters today met with the founder and Executive Director of Discovery Insure Mr. Themba Baloyi and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Anton Ossip.
The Discovery team introduced to the Minister the insurer’s Vitality Drive initiative which is aimed at bolstering road safety through incentives.
Vitality Drive is a mobile phone application that tracks driving behaviour, promotes knowledge and awareness and vehicle safety. It also discourages distractive driver behaviour such as the use of mobile phones while driving.
Minister Peters applauded Discovery Insure for having given scholar transport special focus by ensuring that those transporting school going children do keep them safe on the road.
She also highlighted the legislative strides that the Department of Transport is making in the expected promulgation of regulations governing scholar transport.
Minister Peters further indicated that Discovery Insure’s road safety initiative is likely to be embraced as part of the broad technological advances that the Department of Transport has made through the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).
“We find it quite heartening that the mobile application could also be used by taxi commuters who would be able to detect the driving conduct of the taxi drivers whilst in transit. While government has the primary responsibility of enforcing rules of the road, it’s important that the nation shares the responsibility of changing driver attitudes and behaviour through education and interactive awareness initiatives such as the one undertaken by Discovery Insure,” enthused Minister Peters.
The Minister has encouraged more private sector and civil society organisations to join hands with government in the battle against road carnage.
She said the objectives of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety campaign can only be realized through such partnerships.
Among its primary targets, the UN global campaign aims to have member States halve road fatalities in their respective countries by 2020.
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About Discovery Limited
Discovery Limited is a South African-founded financial services organisation that operates in the healthcare, life assurance, short-term insurance, savings and investment products and wellness markets. Founded in 1992 by the current Group Chief Executive Officer Adrian Gore, Discovery was guided by a clear core purpose – to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. Underpinning this core purpose is the belief that through innovation Discovery can be a powerful market disruptor.
The company, with headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, has expanded its operations globally and currently serves over seven million clients across South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, China and Singapore. Vitality, Discovery’s wellness programme, is the world’s largest scientific, incentive-based wellness solution for individuals and corporates. The global Vitality membership base now exceeds 5.5 million lives in five markets.
Discovery is an authorised financial services provider. It trades on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange under the code “DSY”.
Follow us on Twitter @Discovery_SA
