Festive road safety guideline

The Festive Season always place an added responsibility on traffic authorities who have the mammoth task of ensuring that people comply with the rules of road and facilitate seamless flow of traffic.

The country’s national routes such as the N1, N2, N3 and N4 among others experience an increase in the number of vehicles travelling towards various destinations.

Although we have taken a decision to ensure that we make road safety a 365-day business, it is inevitable that we double-up our efforts when we approach the festive season.

This is due to the obvious fact that there’s remarkable rise in traffic volumes. The National Traffic Police located within the RTMC is in partnership with provincial and municipal traffic authorities and the South African Police Service to reduce and where possible eliminate the risk of crashes on our roads.

They do their work despite hostility from uncooperative motorists at times with one primary objective in mind: To save people’s lives.

The carnage we continue to experience on our roads is instigated by a number of factors mostly embedded in human behavior and vehicle factor.

Road safety, first and foremost, is an individual road user’s responsibility. Once this notion is lost on any road user: motorists, passengers and pedestrians alike, the battle against road carnage is undermined.

Our traffic law enforcement officers will continue to conducted more roadblocks throughout the country during this festive season and beyond.

Of particular interest our law enforcement operations will target enforcement of legislation of wearing seatbelts,   using cell phones while driving, un-roadworthy vehicles, whilst they continue to clamp down on drunken driving, excessive speed and other moving violations.

It is a universally accepted fact that conspicuous patrol of freeways, streets and public places by uniformed officers in conspicuously marked vehicles is the best means available for the prevention of road traffic violations.

I therefore urge all MOTORISTS to:

Drive at a safe speed and always observe the speed limit.
Always wear your seat belt and ensure thatpassengers do the same.
Do NOT drink and drive.
Follow other vehicles at a safe distance.
Do not use a mobile phone while driving.
Overtake with care.
Take regular breaks – at least every two hours.
Before you drive a vehicle ensure that:The vehicle is properly licensed,It has a valid insurance policy,You have the valid and appropriate licence to drive the vehicle.

Pedestrians

Always cross the road at designated pedestrian or zebra crossings.

Always use footpaths where they are available. Do not cross at bends in the road where you cannot see the danger of oncoming vehicles.

If you are walking in a group, walk in single file facing oncoming traffic. When crossing the road, be attentive and on the lookout for oncoming vehicles.

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