Help save lives this festive season by driving carefully
The Road Accident Fund (RAF) encourages all road users to save lives and reduce trauma this festive season by choosing lifesaving behaviour over the impulse to use the roads negligently.
Risky behaviour that road users tend to undertake includes:
• not buckling up children; walking drunk on the side of the road;
• refusing to take two-hourly rest breaks during a long trip;
• driving under the influence of alcohol; driving while distracted such as being on the cellphone;
• not doing vehicle maintenance and pre-trip inspections; or
• speeding to pick up the next taxi load of passengers.
By not adhering to the rules of the road, road users should understand that this will make the difference between many people making it home safely to their families this festive season.
The road accident statistics, supplied by the Road Traffic Management Corporation, indicate that the most vulnerable road users are pedestrians at an average of 40% per festive season, followed by passengers at 33%.
This is one of the reasons why the RAF has developed Road Safety programmes that run throughout the year and are amplified from October to December each year.
These initiatives, undertaken under strict Covid-19 regulations, are meant to educate road users and help lower the cost of accidents on the economy.
Initiatives include:
• defensive driving workshops for truck, bus, and taxi drivers;
• road safety campaigns in partnership with law enforcement agencies;
• fatigue management campaigns with truck drivers;
• a cyclist safety awareness programme;
• promotion of car seat usage when travelling with children; and
• road safety education campaigns in taxi ranks, malls, and other public spaces.
Be a responsible road user. Help us reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roads.
The public can direct all queries to the RAF Call Centre on 0860 23 55 23 between 07:45 to 16:00 from Monday to Friday. Assistance is available in any of the 11 official languages.
