More road accidents, less fatalities recorded on N4 over festive period
TRAC recorded a total of 219 accidents and 23 fatalities on the N4 between Pretoria and Maputo from December 7 to January 8.
KAAPMUIDEN – Over the festive season, TRAC recorded an increase of 28 traffic accidents on the N4 between Pretoria and Maputo.
A total of 219 accidents were recorded from December 7 to January 8, compared with the previous year’s 191.
However, there were only 23 fatalities recorded, a decrease from last year’s 27.
In the Lowveld, a total of 75 accidents and nine fatalities were reported. In Mozambique a total of 76 accidents and five fatalities.
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This is worrying as TRAC, law enforcement agencies and emergency services were deployed in numbers to major routes like the N4, and there were several static and moving roadblocks and stop and searches conducted.
TRAC attributed the incidents to “high traffic volumes, driver negligence, reckless driving and the vast number of unroadworthy and overloaded vehicles on the road”.
Motorists were urged to use the roads responsibly and to remember that safety is not just the authorities’ responsibility.
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As expected, the Lebombo Border Post was very busy, with the highest traffic volumes on December 22. This resulted in a 15-kilometre backup and the N4 being completely blocked. Motorists heading to Komatipoort or the Crocodile Bridge Gate were urged to use alternative routes.
There were also backups of between two and five kilometres throughout that weekend and on December 15, 23 and January 2.
Traffic volumes on the N4 through the Onderberg spiked the highest on December 21 with between 500 and 900 vehicles moving both ways through the Nkomazi Plaza. Over the weekend of January 4, between 480 and 700 vehicles per hour moved west through the Nkomazi Plaza.
People travelling on the N4 can report accidents or request emergency assistance from TRAC via their HelpDesk on 0800-87-22-64.
Remember to use the information on the blue kilometre board markers to ensure their teams get your location accurately.
At the top of the board you will find the road or route on which you are travelling, next to it the section, below it the kilometre position on the route and then the letter, which indicates in which direction you are travelling.
