Traffic Chiefs decide on plan to reduce road deaths
Traffic authorities from all nine provinces and the metros have decided to sustain high impact road operations for the coming three months to reduce deaths on the roads.
Encouraged by the 46% decline in fatalities over the Easter period this year, the chiefs decided that road safety operations implemented over the Easter period should be continued throughout the country with special focus on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Pay-day weekends and long weekends will experience stringent law enforcement operations and roadblocks to address drunken driving, speeding as well as reckless and negligent driving.
The chiefs met as the National Road Safety Steering Committee on Friday last week to finalise road safety plans for the months of April, May and June.
The meeting reviewed road safety trends from the the past five years.
Trends indicated that the month of May has a high number of fatal crashes compared to April and June. This is because of the onset of winter which is associated with veld fires that affect visibility on the roads.
Law enforcement in this period will focus on reducing pedestrian fatalities. Trends show that the highest number of road users who die on the roads in this period are pedestrians (38,3%), followed by passengers (32%) and drivers (27.8%).
KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape will see intensified law enforcement over the three months period. These five provinces contribute 63% of all road fatalities in the country.
Attention will be given to hazardous locations in the inner cities, towns, villages and township with special attention on the R101, R568, R25 in Limpopo. The R56, R58 and R61 in the Eastern Cape have been identified as dangerous.
Hazardous routes in Gauteng have been identified as the R103, the N14, N3, N17 and R59. In KwaZulu-Natal the R618, the N2, N3 and the inner of city of Durban will receive attention. Dangerous routes in Mpumalanga are the N17, N4, the R38 and D1398.
Road users are warned to expect a high number of arrests and the impounding of vehicles as traffic authorities try to deal with all factors that contribute to fatalities on the roads.
Un-roadworthy and un-licenced vehicles will be impounded and pedestrians will be receive heavy penalties for crossing the roads at dangerous points.
Drivers are advised to ensure that all passengers use seatbelts. Those who fail to do this will incur fines for each passenger who is found to be flouting the rules.
Enquiries:
Simon Zwane
Cell: 082 551 9892
