4 April 2007
High volumes of traffic are expected on South Africa's national roads over
this coming weekend as many people take a break from work and head for various
holiday destinations.
The Easter weekend is traditionally a religious 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 for
their pilgrimage in Moria City. Main routes leaving Gauteng will carry heavy
traffic from 12h00 to after 22h00 on Thursday, 5 April and again from 06h00 to
midday on Friday, 6 April.
The N1 towards Polokwane is expected to be one of the busiest routes. Extra
delays can also be expected on the R101, which can be used as an alternative
route. However this is also expected to be extremely busy because this road is
a single carriageway with one lane each for north and south bound traffic.
Most of the heavy traffic is expected to return to Gauteng on Monday, 9
April 2007. Other routes that are expected to be extremely busy on Thursday,
Friday and Monday are the N3 between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the N4 between
Gauteng and Mpumalanga, while the N1 between Gauteng and Free State leading to
the Cape is also expected to be busier than normal.
Traffic law enforcement will be intensified on these identified hazardous
stretches of road:
* The N1 and the R101 between Gauteng and Polokwane in Limpopo
* the N1 from Makhado (Louis Trichardt) to Polokwane
* the R71 from Polokwane via Moria to Tzaneen
* the N1 Gauteng via Bloemfontein, Colesburg and Beaufort West to Cape
Town
* the N2 coastal route from Cape Town via George, Port Elizabeth Umtata,
Durban, and Empangeni to Ermelo in Mpumalanga
* the N3 from Gauteng to Durban
* the N4 from Rustenburg via Pretoria to Nelspruit, Rustenburg and Brits,
Middelburg and Machadodorp
* the N5 between Winburg and Harrismith in Free State
* the N6 from Bloemfontein via Smithfield, Aliwal North and Queenstown to East
London
* the N7 from Cape Town to Vanrhynsdorp
* the N8 from Bloemfontein to Thaba Nchu
* the N9 from Colesburg via Graaff Reinet and Aberdeen to George
* the N10 between Port Elizabeth and Middelburg
* the N11 from Ladysmith via Ermelo and Middelburg to Potgietersrus
(Mokopane)
* the N12 from Kimberley via Warrenton, Klerksdorp an Johannesburg to
Witbank
* the N17 from Johannesburg to Ermelo
* the R24 between Johannesburg and Rustenburg and
* the R26 from Villiers via Bethlehem, Ficksburg and Ladybrand to
Rouxville.
These high crash prone routes will be more extensively targeted by traffic
and emergency services, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation
(RTMC). Motorists are advised to check their vehicles thoroughly, condition of
brakes, mirrors, indicators, wiper blades, tyre pressure, spare wheel as well
as sufficient oil and water. They are also advised to service their vehicles
professionally before taking long trips.
Drivers should be aware of the following symptoms of fatigue, which is a
main contributor of single vehicle accidents:
* Heavy eyelids
* day dreaming and failing to take cognisance of the environment
* vehicle starts wandering across the lane or to other lanes
* nodding off: when the driver loses complete and immediate control of the
vehicle.
Once a motorist develops these symptoms he/she should look for a safe place
to pull off the road, swap drivers or rest for a while.
Drive safely and be on the lookout for those who don't. Accidents happen
quickly so drive slowly. An extra second to react can mean the difference
between life and death. Some people drive recklessly, so be extra careful.
Don't add yourself to the long list of people who say, "I never thought it
would happen to me."
Enquiries:
Ntau Letebele
Cell: 082 923 9194
Sam Monareng
Cell: 083 326 1521
Thabo Tsholetsane
Cell: 082 496 5354
Issued by: Department of Transport
4 April 2007
