LYDENBURG – Although Trans African Concessions (TRAC) recently announced that for the second consecutive year no fatalities occurred on the section of the N4 that they manage over the Easter weekend, two serious accidents were reported locally.
According to Mr Deon Broekman of N3 Rapid Response, a pedestrian was dragged behind a bakkie for approximately 20 metres before the vehicle came to standstill. The injured was immediately airlifted to Rob Ferreira Hospital. He sustained various head injuries as well as a severely broken leg and abrasions.
A second accident, also on the Dullstroom Road, nearly claimed the life of a 56-year-old male when he lost control over his vehicle. According to Broekman, who was on the scene, it is not clear what the cause of the accident was, but excessive speed was suspected.
“He left the road on a straight and crashed into trees on the left of the road but eventually came to a standstill after the car had swerved over to the right side. He was also airlifted to Nelspruit in a critical condition.
According to Ms Solange Soares-Nicholson, communication officer of TRAC, it was one of the busiest Easters on the N4 with the hourly traffic flow at Middelburg Plaza registering more than 2 300 vehicles per hour at certain times over the weekend.
“Despite a major spike in traffic volumes, only 18 non-fatal accidents occurred along the 570km route from April 17 to Monday April 21,” she said. “This is indeed a remarkable feat which we attribute to excellent team work by all involved in promoting and monitoring road safety throughout the route.”
According to him one of the key contributors to keeping the N4 fatality-free this Easter was the TRAC Easter Rescue and Road Safety Campaign. This annual project saw the bulk of Mpumalanga Emergency Services and TRACAssist teams, stationed at Middelburg Shell Ultra City and smaller units deployed to strategic points on the N4.
“This initiative went a long way in promoting road safety as it boosted visibility of authorities and allowed road users to connect with these individuals and teams to gain valuable information and knowledge on road regulations and safety,” she said.
Although all construction and maintenance work on the N4 ceased for the duration of the Easter Weekend, the Stop/Go between Nelspruit and Malalane was still active due to it being at a very delicate stage of construction.
“Although many feared that this would create major traffic congestion, TRAC’s proactive response to the situation ensured that all ran smoothly on this specific section of the road,” Soares-Nicholson said.
The contingency plans implemented at the Crocodile Gorge included the reduction of the stop/go’s length to 2,7km, the lead/tail escort strategy, the on-site availability of a Van Wettens’ towing vehicle and policing by provincial and municipal traffic police and the SAPS.
According to her the contingency plans were very effective and TRAC has decided to retain some of them including the reduced Stop/Go length until 6 May so as to accommodate commuters during the two approaching long weekends.
“Of course such an achievement would not be possible without the cooperation of the road users themselves and therefore we want to thank all motorists for their efforts.
At TRAC we believe that road safety is everyone’s responsibility and the N4 will continue getting safer and better as long as this philosophy is applied by all who use it,” she said.
