THE South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) has vowed to provide a safe environment for motorists this festive season but warned motorists and truck drivers that they too have a contribution to make.
The December holidays bring more vehicles on to the roads going to more places – and this increases the risk inherent in driving.
Skhumbuzo Macozoma, CEO of the South African National Road Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) said that road safety is a major challenge during this period. He said although there is a major drive from many institutions around road safety, accident statistics remained unacceptably high.
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“An important part of what SANRAL does, is to provide safe roads, safe for vehicles and pedestrians. This festive season it will re-double its efforts to promote road safety.
“We have been travelling on our roads to assess their condition, and we visited several construction zones to determine the extent of roadworks and their impact on traffic. We are happy to say our roads are ready to accommodate the holiday traffic,” said Macozoma.
Macozoma said: “Please heed the calls to stay safe on the roads. Do things differently this festive season. Be responsible for your life and for that of fellow road-users. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t text and drive. Don’t text and walk.”
According to the 2016/2017 Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), almost 80 per cent of road crashes in South Africa occur as a result of human factors, such as speeding and reckless behaviour.
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Roads and environmental factors account for 17 per cent, the rest is due to vehicle factors, such as un-roadworthy vehicles.
Motorists can look forward to a safe journey on the national network, with its high-quality roads, friendly toll plazas with minor delays, especially for tag holders, and 24-hour emergency and law enforcement from supporting partners in the provinces as part of the Roads Incidents Management Systems (RIMS) programme.
Motorists can also visit the SANRAL website www.nra.co.za for help in planning their journeys.
SANRAL has made available a series of videos to help motorists plan their journeys – what route to use, what to expect on the road, the estimated expenditure for tolls and rest spots on the route.
They can be downloaded using this link: https://we.tl/eIPxFEFvhv
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