Two men were critically injured on Tuesday morning when their bakkies collided head-on on the road between Elandsrand and Blyvooruitzicht. According to a spokesperson for the ER24 emergency service, Mr Russel Meiring, paramedics arrived on the scene at 07:20 to find one bakkie in the road and the second one on the side of the road. Both vehicles were significantly damaged. Upon assessment, the paramedics found that the two drivers, both men, had sustained numerous injuries and were in a critical condition.
Their injuries were treated and both received advanced life support interventions. The casualties were transported to nearby hospitals for further treatment.
In another serious accident at about the same time, various emergency services, including ER24 and Gladiator Distress Alerttransported 11 patients to hospitals when three vehicles collided on the R28 by Hillshaven.
In yet another accident in the same area on Tuesday morning, Gladiator had to evacuate eight patients after two minibus taxis and a car collided.
Among other smaller accidents was one that occurred at the entrance to Dolomite Street on the R501 on Monday afternoon.
According to the paramedics, most of the accidents happened because the drivers did not seem to know how to drive in the rain.
‘Drivers must be very careful when it rains. It is especially important to reduce your speed. We have seen several accidents occur after the vehicles have skidded across the water on the road. If you drive slowly enough, you have time to brake or swerve safely,’ says Mr Leander Venter of ER24, who attended most of the past week’s crashes.
‘Some of these accidents, like the one near Elandsrand, occurred on straight strips of road and could have been avoided if the drivers had driven slower in the rain.
‘People must remember that some of our roads are in poor condition and one cannot see potholes or judge how deep they are when they are filled with water. If you drive slower, it gives you enough time to swerve,’ Mr Gerrit Bradnick of Gladiator added.
Other tips for driving safely, especially in heavy rain, are to drive in the tracks of the car in front of you and to increase the following distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. If your car loses traction while you are driving over water in the road, do not brake or turn the steering wheel abruptly as this may cause your vehicle to go into a skid or spin. Take your foot off the accelerator and keep the steering wheel straight until your car reclaims traction.
Also, grip the steering wheel with both hands to maximise your control of the vehicle, keep your windshield wipers in good shape and defog your windows so that you can see the road in front of you. If your vehicle has cruise control, it is better not to use it in heavy rain as it can cause your car to accelerate when the tyres lose traction on the road.
