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Motorists cautioned of heavy holiday traffic

Peak traffic on the country’s national roads might occur earlier than normal because of the days on which December and January public holidays fall.

November 20, 2018

Press Release 3 minutes read

Heavy traffic on highway --- Image by © Volker Möhrke/Corbis

In addition, all public schools close on December 12, a Wednesday, and open on a Tuesday, a week after January 1.

Traffic will begin to pick up in the week of school closures and traffic volumes will become really heavy from that Friday, 14 December – the beginning of a long weekend as Monday is a public holiday and when the building industry closes down.

As Christmas falls on a Tuesday, it can be expected that traffic will start peaking on the previous Friday, December 21.

It is OUR responsibility as motorists and pedestrians to reduce the number of fatalities this #FestiveSeason. Play your part. #WDR2018 #RoadSafety #Whoa pic.twitter.com/83UBletMdM

— SANRAL (@SANRAL_za) November 18, 2018

The end of the holiday period is also somewhat different: New Year’ Day is on a Tuesday and so is the day public schools re-open on January 8.

This may mean peak traffic on the Monday before.

Travellers will not experience any delays as a result of road construction. This has been suspended for the duration of the festive season on the N4 freeway from Pretoria to Mozambique, SANRAL said in a statement.

The road is in good condition but motorists should take care, especially when they are driving during the typical Highveld thunder storms.

SANRAL calls on road users to follow important safety tips when they take to the country’s main roads during the holiday period. “The main message is to remember that a road is a shared space and that you should be respectful towards your fellow road users.”

According to Vusi Mona, SANRAL Communications manager, speed limits are clearly indicated on the 22 214 km of roads managed by SANRAL in all nine provinces. These are maximum limits and drivers should adjust their speed according to conditions such as rain or visibility.

“Speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol are some of the major causes of road crashes – road users heed the call to #KnowYourWhoa #Don’tDrink&Drive,” says Mona.
“Road user behaviour contributes a lot to road crashes and we appeal to motorists to respect the rules of the road and to also ensure their vehicles are roadworthy,” he says.

Our Road Safety Graphitti artists hard at work @SANRAL_za #Knowyourwhoa #SANRALBTTC pic.twitter.com/X5uxLkMMWJ

— Financial Bunny (@ImcocoMash) April 27, 2017

Motorists can use a variety of SANRAL tools to help plan their travel better. They can visit the SANRAL website, www.nra.co.za for help in planning their journeys.

SANRAL has made available a series of videos to help motorists plan on their journeys – what route to use, what to expect on the road, the estimated expenditure for tolls and rest spots on the route.

Motorists can also download the SANRAL App for convenience of topping up their e-tag accounts from the comfort of their cars.

“The app can be downloaded for free on all Android and iOS devices and also offers users information about road conditions, traffic congestion and incidents on the road enabling motorists to plan their journeys in advance,” explains Mona.

Incidents should be reported to either the South African Police Services (10111) or the National Traffic Call Centre (NTCC) on 012 665 6075, alternatively to the TRAC Rescue team at 0800 872264 (0800 TRAC N4).