Fewer passengers dying on the roads on Easter Weekend
The percentage of passengers dying as a result of road crashes over the Easter period has shown a decrease over the past five years.
Statistics from the Road Traffic Management Corporation indicate that passengers constituted 39% of the total number of people who died in the roads in the country last year. This was a decrease from 43% in 2010.
The percent contribution of drivers and pedestrians has remained steady at above 25% and 30% respectively.
This reflects a positive contribution that public transport operators have made to improving safety on the roads. Last year taxis and busses combined were involved in 12% of fatal road crashes during the Easter period.
By far the majority of vehicles that were involved in fatal crashes were small private motor vehicles (47.4%) and bakkies (13%). These two categories of vehicles contribute more than 50% of all fatal crashes.
A total of 333 people died on the roads over Easter last years compared to 229 the previous year. A total of 244 died in 2010.
Law enforcement authorities have intensified their operations this past weekend in preparation for an increase in traffic volumes expected from Thursday, March 24.
Information from these operation indicates that speed and alcohol use by drivers remains a big challenge. More than 688 drivers were arrested in Johannesburg for drunken driving while a motorcyclist was arrested for driving at 213 kilometres an hour and another was caught doing 227 km/h in Park Rynie in KwaZulu-Natal.
The RTMC has deployed its own National Traffic Police to increase the capacity of traffic officials in provinces such as Limpopo, Free State, Mpumalanga and North West. Undercover anti-corruption officers have also been deployed to deal with bribery and corruption between officials and motorists.
Traffic officers will be maintaining high visibility on all national routes and high accident zones. These will be accompanied by roving road blocks and roadworthiness tests for all vehicles at strategic points.
An analysis of traffic movement and traffic count on the Thursday before the Easter weekend for the past five years has demonstrated a higher than normal traffic count on major arterial routes out of Gauteng into Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Free State with the main one being Limpopo due to the Moria gatherings of the two ZCC churches.
The highest increase of traffic is usually experienced on the main routes leading out of Gauteng, with the busiest routes being the N1 between Pretoria and Beit-bridge, R71 to Moria, N1 between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein, the N3 between Johannesburg and Durban, N4 between Pretoria and Nelspruit , N1 between Bloemfontein and Cape Town, N2 between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
Motorists are advised that there will a zero tolerance of traffic violations and they should ensure that all passengers wear seatbelts, children be on child restraints, keep within the required speed limits, avoid alcohol and other intoxicating substances and ensure that their vehicles are in a roadworthy state.
Enquiries:
Simon Zwane (RTMC)
Cell: 082 551 9892
