Stepped up traffic law enforcement for Youth Day long-weekend and school holidays
Traffic chiefs from all provinces and metros have agreed to step up law enforcement operation on hazardous routes and around major events to reduce road crashes and fatalities over the youth day long weekend and mid-year school holidays.
During the meeting of the National Road Safety Steering Committee in Kempton Park today, the chiefs identified hazardous routes that will require intensified policing in the coming two weeks culminating in the Durban July handicap weekend.
Motorists who plan to travel for the June 16 long weekend and school holidays can expect to see traffic law enforcement every 20 kilometres during their journey. High impact operations have been planned which will see national, provincial, metro and municipal traffic officers working jointly with the South African Police Service to proactively deal with traffic violations and reduce collisions.
The following roads have been identified as hazardous routes that will be intensely patrolled. The routes include the N3 between Gauteng and Durban, the N1 Gauteng to Polokwane, the N4 to Mpumalanga. In KwaZulu-Natal additional focus will be on the N2, and the N11. In the Eastern Cape focus will be on the N2, the R74 and N10. Hazardous routes in the Western Cape include N2, N62, R360 and R27.
Statistics collected by the Road Traffic Management Corporation indicate that the number of people dying on the roads in the month of June have been reduced by 11% in the past three years. The numbers have come down from 1262 in 2013 to 1072 in 2015.
Traffic chiefs are seeking to reduce fatalities further this year by focusing their operations on the days on which most collisions occur and factors that contribute to fatalities.
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are the days generally associated with a high number of collisions including pay-day weekends and long weekends.
Drunk driving, speed, fatigue, uncontrolled pedestrian behaviour are some the human factors that will be addressed as they contribute majorly to collisions and fatalities.
Motorists are warned that major construction on some sections of the main national roads is currently underway to improve the quality of the roads. Roadworks are currently taking place on the N3 between Howick and Cato Ridge as well as in Van Reenen in KwaZulu-Natal.
Enquiries:
Simon Zwane (RTMC)
Cell: 082 551 9892
