The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) calls on motorists who intend travelling for the festive season holidays to start fixing their vehicles and ensure that they are fit to be on the roads.
Law enforcement operations are being stepped up on the roads and officers have vowed to clamp down on unroadworthy vehicles as they contribute to road crashes and fatalities. No excuses will be accepted.
The National Traffic Police inspected 150 trucks travelling on the N3 near Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu Natal this weekend. A total of 122 traffic fines were issued. On the N2 in Pongola 25 truck were inspected while seven truck drivers were arrested for reckless and negligent driving. Four trucks were discontinued.
The following vehicle defects have been identified as contributing to fatal crashes on the roads: defective breaks, burst tyres, defective lights.
With heavy rainfalls predicted for this period, it is further important to ensure that wipers are in a perfect state as they affect visibility on rainy days. Law enforcement officer will not hesitate to discontinue and even impound vehicles with the above defects including cracked windscreens.
The impoundment of a vehicle will cause great inconvenience to travelling motorists as they will have to fix the vehicle at extra costs and have the vehicle taken for roadworthy tests before it is allowed on the road again. This will be in addition to traffic fines and impoundment fees.
The last thing anybody wants to experience is to have their trip interrupted by foreseeable and preventable factors.
The RTMC also calls on motorists to organise sober drivers or make use of public transport services when going out for end-of-year parties and festivities. Drunk driving is another contributor to road crashes and law enforcement officers are scaling up their operations to deal with this challenge.
Those who are planning to use their end-of-year bonuses to buy driving licences are warned that anti-corruption agents are keeping an eye on transactions conducted at licencing centres. Last month 15 motorists were arrested for displaying fraudulent discs on their vehicles and four traffic officials were arrested for bribery, fraud, and corruption.
Members of the public are also encouraged to join the campaign against fraud and corruption by providing information to ntacu@rtmc.co.za or through the WhatsApp line 083 293 7989.
