THE World Health Organisation (WHO) regards South Africa as one of the world’s worst countries for road safety, with roughly 1 280 fatalities occurring between December 2012 and January of this year.
Forty percent of those deaths are as a consequence of drunken pedestrians walking on our roads, with other catalysts being excessive road speeding, dangerous overtaking, and no seatbelt wearing or as a result of vehicles that are not roadworthy.
As the Easter holidays loom motorists are being urged to take extra precautions by reminding themselves of the basics when planning a road trip.
National transport minister, Dipuo Peters earlier this week urged motorists to be road safety ambassadors everyday. “Breaking any rules of the road is gross disregard for the law of the country and its citizens,” Peters said.
The minister urged the bus and taxi industries to ensure that their vehicles are safe and reliable.
The Easter break usually sees an increased number of families and tourists travelling on the roads to various destinations.
