The City of Joburg, Dialdirect Insurance and Discovery Insure announced the launch of the Pothole Patrol, a partnership to manage the repair of potholes throughout Johannesburg, in a unique data driven initiative designed to make roads safer for all residents.
A force for social good
Joburg Mayor, Geoff Makhubo launching the Pothole Patrol in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg said, “We have no doubt that this joint initiative with private sector support is the boost we need to fix road infrastructure in the city. We are confident that the launch of this initiative is a game-changer in resolving the scourge of potholes on our roads.”
Head of Dialdirect Insurance, Anneli Retief said: “After 10 years, we’re back and once again, are ready to help solve the backlog of potholes and help motorists drive right.”
In line with Discovery’s core purpose of enhancing and protecting lives, Discovery Insure Chief Executive Officer Anton Ossip said, “We’re proud to support the Joburg Roads Agency with this important initiative that we have no doubt will make our roads safer for everyone.”
Discovery Insure and Dialdirect Insurance create value for broader society
This initiative will contribute to reducing the frequency and severity of road accidents across the city for insured and uninsured drivers alike. The insurers seek to align with international road safety standards. This initiative supports the United Nations Road-Safety strategy titled ‘A Partnership for Safer Journeys’ established in 2019.
“Since the launch of Discovery Insure 10 years ago, we’ve endeavored to push the limits and do things differently: we wanted to make people safer; we wanted to be more proactive about risk rather than reactive; we wanted to share value with the broader society, as part of our ambition to impact the lives of our clients and broader society,” says Ossip.
Kick-off on Monday
“The Pothole Patrols will begin on Monday, 3 May 2021, and will prioritise roads that are more frequently used, impacting more users and thereby causing more damage. Simultaneously a smartphone app is being developed to allow residents of the City to log pothole locations which will be prioritised for repair,” added Retief.
“It is important to note that due to the vast expanse of the City’s road infrastructure and the backlog created over time through various reasons including an increase in road traffic and worsening weather conditions, it may take time for a logged pothole to be repaired,” added Executive Mayor Makhubo.
In addition, Dialdirect Insurance and Discovery Insure will make available to the programme their significant data about road conditions, which is collected through telematics data that measures how vehicles are driven and can infer the condition of the road as a result.