Reckless drivers contribute to festive season death tolls

MBOMBELA – During the festive season more people are on the roads and many unnecessary lives are lost due to traffic accidents.

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Recently there has been a number of accidents around the city and, most notably, on the N4. Last Tuesday, in the  morning, the driver of a bakkie was killed after he lost control of his vehicle just outside the city between Cairn and the Mataffin ring road.

Last year a total of 113 people lost their lives over the festive season on the province’s roads. This was more than the 103 people who were killed during the same period the previous year.

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The Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison (DCSSL) cited excessive speeding, reckless driving, unroadworthy vehicles, dangerous overtaking and general disregard for traffic rules, for the deaths.

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Solange Soares-Nicholson, communications manager for TRAC,  said that she was horrified by the driver behaviour she witnessed on the N4 daily. She said:

“People don’t seem to realise that there are speed limits for a reason. Some areas, such as on a bend or where there are no passing lanes, necessitate reduced speeds. The speed limit on Schoemanskloof is 100 kilometres per hour because it is a very winding road and there is not a large road reserve.”

Last Tuesday, in the afternoon, three people died in a crash near Berg-en-Dal. In the morning, a person was seriously injured in an accident between Viva Filling Station and Joubert & Sons Farm Stall. An eyewitness said she saw how another vehicle, who was driving erratically, ran over the cones at the accident scene. DCSSL spokesman, Moeti Mmusi could not confirm the incident.Someone was also seriously injured in a crash between Patatanek and Old Joe last Monday in the afternoon.

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Soares-Nicholson’s advice is for motorists to keep calm, remain patient and drive slowly. She noted that at least four people died in a crash between a truck and South African taxi on the N4 near Maputo last Monday in the morning at around 04:00. Twenty-two people were seriously injured. “It is not advisable to drive at night,” she cautioned. “Your visibility is so much lower. And don’t overload.”

Four tourists were also injured in the Kruger National Park last Tuesday after a car driven by a tourist from KwaZulu-Natal left the road and hit a tree just off the H3 road about seven kilometres from Afsaal. The driver and three of the passengers sustained various injuries, none of which appeared to be life-threatening at the time they were attended to at the scene by the local Skukuza doctor.

The park’s acting managing executive, Nicholus Funda, urged visitors to remain alert at all times, especially with the current warm prevailing conditions. The South African Weather Service has also issued a warning of severe discomfort due to the heat and humidity in the park and nearby Komatipoort.

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Last weekend, Soares-Nicholson expected heavy traffic on the eastward-bound roads , including at Lebombo Border Post, as it is was the last weekend before Christmas. The next expected traffic peak will be cars heading west on New Year’s Day, as well as the weekend afterwards, as the majority of people start work again.

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Mmusi warned motorists that the provincial traffic department would continue its zero-tolerance approach to negligent driving this festive season. They started walking the talk this last weekend, making 135 arrests of people driving under the influence alone. Another 79 were caught for excessive speeding on the province’s roads, one doing 187 kilometres per hour in a 120-kilometre per hour zone near Alkmaar.

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“Motorists should come to the party and respect the rules of the road. Reckless driving should not be condoned, because it often leads to unnecessary crashes. Communities should also report any bad driving so that such tendencies are halted,” he concluded.