12 April 2006
Pretoria - Traffic volumes on the main routes in South Africa are expected
to increase significantly this coming weekend. "Easter weekend is traditionally
a holy period when people take short holiday breaks. Migrant workers make use
of the extra days off to go and see their families and members of the Zion
Christian Church (ZCC) travel to worship in Moria City over the Easter weekend.
This adds to the heavy traffic volumes. It is expected that the main routes out
of Gauteng will carry heavy traffic from 12H00 to after 22H00 on Thursday, 13
April and again from 06H00 to midday on Friday, 14 April".
"The N1 towards Polokwane is expected be one of the busiest routes, with
Zionists travelling to Limpopo to attend the Easter service in Moria City. The
R101, which is the alternative route, will also be extremely busy, with extra
delays expected because this road is a single carriageway with one lane each
for north and south bound traffic," cautioned the Department of Transport's
Arrive Alive campaign.
Most of the heavy traffic is expected to return to Gauteng on Monday, 17
April 2006. Other routes that are expected to be extremely busy on Thursday,
Friday and Monday are the N3 between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal and the N4
between Gauteng and Mpumalanga, while the N1 between Gauteng and the Cape will
also be busier than normal.
"Before leaving on a journey drivers should be well rested. Provide for
regular resting points on your route. Fatigue is a killer and you should stop
and swap drivers as soon as the first symptoms of fatigue occur. If there is no
co-driver in the vehicle, stop and rest for a while. The vehicle should be
checked thoroughly by checking condition of brakes, mirrors, indicators, wiper
blades, tyre pressure, spare wheel as well as sufficient oil and water. The
vehicle should be professionally serviced before long trips", advised the
Department of Transport.
Traffic authorities warn motorists against the dangers of fatigue, night
driving, unsafe following distances, excessive speed and inconsiderate driving
over the holiday period.
Enquiries:
Media Contact:
Collen Msibi
Cell: 082 414 5279
Ntau Letebele
Cell: 082 923 9194
Issued by: Department of Transport
12 April 2006
Source: SAPA
