This report is consolidated as per information received from SAPS on weekly basis.
Please be advised that the Weekly Preliminary Festive Season Report will be made available every Tuesdays @ 14:00 and will comprise of the following:
Introduction
Festive season is a period where family members and friends come together to celebrate holidays and also spend time since some are working far from their homesteads, some people travel from one place to another for leisure to celebrate days such as Christmas and New Year. This movement results into high volume of traffic in various routes where some motorists are observed to impatient and fail to obey traffic rules, resulting into crashes which ultimately claimthe lives of vulnerable road users. This does not only leave wounds in the lives of lost ones, but impact on the economy of the country, catering for medical assistance, counseling and insurance pay outs. Some crashes are so bad that too many lives are lost at a go, requiring attention of multiple emergency services to be available for assistance.
Major fatal crashes
A major fatal crash is described as:
- Five (5) or more people are killed
- Four (4) or more vehicles are involved
- High profile person involved
- Vehicles carrying hazardous substances are involved
- Crash that the Corporation feels necessary to investigate, these crashes are termed major and the deployment of RTMC investigation Unit becomes necessary to report back and identify remedial actions on routes where incidents were reported
Major Fatal Crashes Reported from 1 December to 30 December 2013:
The total number of fatal crashes as reported by the SAPS as at 30 December 2013 stands at 987 resulting in1184fatalities. Crashes are reported to SAPS where report is consolidated and sent to RTMC as per table and a graph below:
Minister Martins’s Views
- Enough is enough; this bloodshed on our roads must to come to an end.
- This high rate of fatalities on our roads won’t be tolerated, drinking and driving cost so many precious lives.
- Laws and regulations will be strengthened to ensure the prevention of further recurrence.
- We will ensure that our laws bite; no stone shall be left unturned, to deal with arrogant, reckless road-users who contravene our road safety messages.
- It seems amongst us we still have drivers who are incompetent in driving, that are primarily responsible for the ghastly crashes and fatalities which occur on our roads.
- The road deaths are not just desirable; we’ll ensure that every time when the drivers renew their driving licenses, they get re-tested in order to check their ability to drive.
- By next year, we will intensify our road safety messages through education to the level of institution of higher learning.
- We will improve construction and upgrading of our provincial road networks.
- Drag-racing/ spinning of cars during this period won’t be tolerated; stern action will be taken against the culprits.
- We have to be responsible South Africans and make our roads to be blood-free.
- This horrendous picture of crashes witnessed on our roads, especially during peak season, could have been avoided, and almost all of them attributed to driver error, euphemism for reckless, disrespectful and anti-social conduct on the part of one or the party to the incidents.
- A great deal of work must be done, in line with the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 to win the battle against road carnages, we collectively have a role to play.
- We will also want to take this opportunity to salute men and women who tirelessly sacrificed their valuable time with their families and loved ones in order to make our roads safer during this critical and challenging period.
Additional information
Traffic Patterns:
Traditionally, the period between Christmas and New Year sees another slight increase in traffic volumes as some holiday makers begin their return home journeys. Alternatively, we also find that some only embark on outbound journeys to commence their holidays or be someplace else for the New Year. Historical patterns also suggest that many people do not spend both Christmas and New Year at the same place preferring to be in one place (province) for one then traveling to another for the other. This results in the slight peak that would be witnessed along the following major arterial routes:
The above mentioned are only the national routes. Many crashes occur on the alternative secondary routes where motorists travel to avoid toll fees and the presence of increased enforcement. We will also see an increase in heavy freight transport especially on the N3 corridor as some companies will want to transport goods they were not able to do during the Xmas break. Cross border traffic is also expected to increase as some people may want to return earlier to settle in before work starts proper next week.
Arrests for Traffic Offences:
From the 1st December 2013 to 30 December 2013, an estimated 986 people were arrested nation-wide for drinking and driving and inconsiderate and/or reckless driving. Approximately, 15% of the people arrested are female.
Things to look out for:
Drunken pedestrians and stray animals on rural roads remains a constant challenge.
Avoid traveling at night, and if you have to, travel at a safe speed that will allow you to avoid potential hazards.
Inclement weather has been forecast around various parts of the country: travel with headlamps on during the day, observe safe following distances (at least 3 seconds in the wet) and ensure that all safety critical aspects are in a roadworthy condition( brakes, tyres and shock absorbers) Overloading of both freight and passenger vehicles ( including trailers which are unroadworthy and unlicensed) are a huge challenge. Traffic officers have been instructed to discontinue and/ or impound such vehicles.
Excessive speeding remains a problem as some people have chosen to ignore the messages or think that they will not get caught. On average 20 people a week are being arrested for excessive speeding and more than two hundred arrested a week for drinking and driving especially in urban/metropolitan areas.
Message: if you drink and drive, you WILL get caught and the consequences are dire.
Concern by traffic officials:
Broken down vehicles should be removed as far left of the shoulder of the road, especially at night. Use the red, warning triangles and switch on the hazard indicators. Passengers should not be loitering along or near the road verge.
Golden rule of freeway travel: keep left, pass right (even if you are traveling at the 120km/h speed limit)
Do not be the cause of road rage which can result in ugly consequences.
Please be patient at roadside traffic checkpoints, toll gates that might be carrying heavy volumes and stop/go construction sites.
Beware of motorists stopping dangerously to pick up illegal hitch-hikers on roadsides.
Finally
Acknowledge thankless tasks performed by traffic and police officers, emergency and rescue services, construction workers and toll gate operators and the many road safety volunteers and ambassadors who volunteered their selfless time and energy to ensure that others Arrive Alive.
The public road is a shared space, let us do so with respect: respect for the rules of the road, respect for other road users and respect for your vehicle!
Report bad driving to 0861 400
This press release is prepared by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC)