Road accident fund festive message
Tis the season to be jolly but before the festivities begin, #AlwaysRemember safety first
![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/105/2017/12/road-accident-fund-RAF.jpg)
Tis the season to be jolly but before the festivities begin, #AlwaysRemember the following:
• 1,120 more people died on the roads in 2016 than in 2015, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation. This marks a nine percent increase in car crash victims, and the figures may increase in 2017.
• The statistics are troubling and heart rending. We may know one of these victims; if not, they still matter as they once were someone else’s loved one.
• Why then do road users persist in disobeying the rules of the road by: not buckling up their children; texting while driving; walking drunk on the side of the road; refusing to take two hourly rest breaks during a long trip; or speeding in order to pick up the next taxi load of passengers? The list of transgressions goes on and on, yet we never heed the warnings, particularly when the inevitable happens and hundreds are injured or killed in car crashes.
• Most members of the public agree that the deliberate disregard for road safety has to change. If they make a conscience decision to turn over a new leaf, will they practice what you preach before holding others accountable?
• The Road Accident Fund (RAF) appeals to road users through its Festive Season campaign to #AlwaysRemember to take the necessary precautions when travelling on South Africa’s roads. Remind others as well!
• Help drive road safety awareness and conversation through the media, and on RAF’s digital and social platforms.
Honour those we have lost on South Africa’s roads by always remembering to do the right thing when you travel this festive season
In the unfortunate event that road users are involved in a car crash, they can phone the RAF Call Centre on 0860 23 55 23.
Alternatively, contact any of the RAF’s 5 regional offices, 6 Customer Service Centres or 100 Hospital Service Centres, details of which are available on the RAF website.
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https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/91690/horrific-accident-claims-19-lives-emalahleni/