Due to the spike in accidents during load-shedding, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport will be paying more attention to traffic control during the scheduled power outages.

Spokesperson Kwanele Ncalane said that accidents during power outages have become a serious issue impacting road safety.

“We have observed that, in some intersections during load-shedding, there is an increase in accidents, even though they are not fatal. This also impacts on traffic congestion.

“We are trying to work at certain intersections to get police controlling traffic. In some areas, you find community volunteers who are assisting in directing traffic during these times,” said Ncalane.

He added that they hope that, working together with municipalities, they will improve traffic conditions and increase the traffic personnel to assist during load-shedding, especially at major intersections.

“During load-shedding, we must anticipate that some of the facilities will not be working. Motorists need to drive cautiously when they are approaching robots that are not working and treat them as a four-way stop.

“They need to learn to be patient to succeed in efforts of reducing accidents, as a result of load-shedding.

“Working with municipalities, we will increase and pay more attention to the issue of traffic control around load shedding, because it seems like it is here to stay.”

Zolani Ngubane, whose car got smashed at the back last Tuesday, said he is still recovering from the shock, and now needs to get his bumper fixed.

“I was making my way out of Hayfields shopping centre when I heard a loud bang. The robots were not working. At first, I thought I had a burst tyre. I parked the car on the side to check, and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my bumper had been bashed in,” said Ngubane.

He said it is ridiculous to see how people forget to drive when the robots don’t work.

Another driver, who didn’t want to be named, said people don’t follow the rules of the road.

“[Drivers] forget to be vigilant. They drive at high speeds, and as a result, they cause fatal accidents. We need to see the visibility of traffic officers, especially in busy areas to avoid people doing as they please on the road.”

Msunduzi Municipality spokesperson Ntobeko Mkhize said load-shedding has, unfortunately, resulted in many traffic lights not working and, in some cases, it takes place during peak hours when traffic flow is at its highest.

“While the municipality has traffic management plans in place to provide services for the safety of our road users during load-shedding, it has put pressure on the already stretched traffic management capacity. This has therefore forced them to focus mainly on strategic intersections within the city,” said Mkhize.

“There could never be enough officers due to the number of motorists and the number of roads in our city; and also due to the fact that the traffic officers have their own mandates to execute in terms of traffic enforcement.”

She appealed to motorists to drive cautiously, reminding them to always treat dead traffic lights as stop signs.

Head of Dialdirect, Anneli Retief, said over the weekend, accident figures more than doubled, increasing the risk of vehicle accidents by 13.5%.

“The dangerous consequences of load-shedding are when street lights and traffic lights are down at night.

“Motorists are encouraged to drive cautiously at all times, but especially in poorly lit areas. Treat all inoperative traffic lights as a four-way stop, and when in doubt, yield to oncoming traffic from the right. Do not assume that all other drivers will stop. Exercise extreme vigilance and drive defensively,” said Retief.

She added that, by all indications, load-shedding is going to be with us for a while, but a proactive approach to road safety, as well as having comprehensive insurance cover in place, goes a long way in mitigating the risk and keeping you and your loved ones safe.