As the notoriously busy Easter period approaches, I am happy to announce that as of today, in addition to our intensified enforcement efforts planned for the weekend, we have extended our highly successful Average Speed Over Distance (ASOD) camera enforcement network to two sections of the N2. This is the sixth phase expansion of this system that will now cover 28.8 kms of the N2, following previous activations along the R61, the R27, and most of the N1. We hope that this further extension of the system will result in a continued decrease in both road fatalities, as well as speed violations on the province’s most dangerous roads.
How it works:
- The Average Speed Over Distance (ASOD) system calculates the average speed of a vehicle from the time it passes the first camera until it passes the second camera
- The average speed is then determined by the time that it has taken a vehicle to travel from point A (where the first camera is located) to point B (where the second camera is located)
- Reaching point B in a time shorter than the time which is determined by the distance and the speed limit, means that the driver was speeding.
First four phases of ASOD:
1. October 2011: R61 from Beaufort West to Aberdeen covering 71.6km.
2. December 2012: N1 from Beaufort West to Three Sisters covering 31.7km.
3. October 2013: R27 West Coast covering 57.2km.
4. December 2013: N1 Beaufort West to Laingsburg covering 190.6km
5. December 2014: N1 Laingsburg to Touwsrivier covering 72.1km
This sixth phase of the ASOD system now covers an additional 28.8kms in two sections of the N2, bringing the coverage by the system of the province’s most dangerous roads up to 452kms. The two sections covered, including Sir Lowry’s Pass, are:
- Section 1: Somerset West (Elandskloof point) to Steenbras
- Section 2: Steenbras to Houwhoek
This area has seen a number of crashes and fatalities in recent years:
|
N2 ASOD Section 1- Somerset West/Sir Lowry to Steenbras |
||||
|
Road User |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
Driver |
5 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Motor-Cyclist |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Passenger |
2 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
|
Pedestrian |
1 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
|
Total |
9 |
5 |
10 |
5 |
|
N2 ASOD Secton 2: Steenbras to Houw-Hoek |
||||
|
Road User |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
Driver |
4 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
|
Motor-Cyclist |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Passenger |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
Pedestrian |
2 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
|
Total |
8 |
9 |
7 |
4 |
We remain confident that with the ASOD system in place more and more people will slow down on these stretches thereby substantially reducing their likelihood of being involved in the horrific crashes that we have seen in the past, particularly along the longer distance roads frequented during this time by holiday-makers travelling to their various destinations.
We are fortunate to have continued partnerships between our Safely Home team, our Roads engineers and staff, the Director of Public Prosecutions, SANRAL, the City of Cape Town, and all our road safety partners, that are committed to improved safety on our roads, and continue to support innovative projects like our ASOD camera enforcement system. We remain committed to ensuring that motorists, their passengers, and other road users, arrive safely at their destinations, particularly during this busy Easter period.
Tomorrow, we will be launching our Operation “ZERO” Easter Enforcement Plan, which aims to achieve zero fatalities or serious injuries on identified high-risk routes over the upcoming Easter period. As a main focus of the plan over this upcoming weekend is the effective enforcement of speed. This latest phase of our ASOD system will go a long way in achieving that and encouraging motorists to slow down on our roads, particularly over periods with high traffic volumes.
Media enquiries:
Siphesihle Dube
Tel: 021 483 8954
Fax: 021 483 2217
E-mail: Siphesihle.Dube@westerncape.gov.za
