Making roads safer is a priority this Easter

Imperial Road safety announced  it will take to the roads to educate and implement stringent road safety activations across the country and were in Ballito yesterday.

The focus is on educating students, pupils, adults and commercial companies about the importance of road, vehicle and pedestrian safety.

This outreach aims to make a substantial contribution to curbing road crashes and deaths during the Easter period and beyond.

“There is absolutely no doubt that South Africa is on the brink of a disaster when it comes to road safety. There is still a lot of negligence and disregard of road rules and it is up to us, in partnership with government, to drive home the message of road safety – not just drive it home, but implement solutions that address key issues that enforce road rule compliance. This starts with us now!” said Group Marketing at Imperial’s Niki Cronje,

Imperial has already done a number of major road safety education activations, as well a highway patrol activations over the March Easter holidays between 16 and 30.

Not only has the company again partnered with the N1/N4 Bakwena Toll Route to provide route surveillance and support, but they have created the first road safety mascot, Bongi, who will help actively deliver the message of road safety to children at a number of Shell Ultra Cities on the N3 Toll Route, as well as at Ushaka Marine World, Umhlanga beaches and Lifestyle Centre in Ballito.

“The the company will also support the Brake and Tyre Watch initiative over this period which is critical if we consider the impact of un-roadworthy trucks on road safety statistics.”

“We cannot let this holiday period go by without ensuring road safety education is a priority, if we hope to see a change, and it is for this reason that we have put all our resources into these education and support campaigns. We believe that education, of any form, is only successful if you are reaching the masses and what better way to do so than reaching out to people travelling on South Africa’s roads.

“These roads are notoriously busy over this period and as such, offer the opportunity to gain many road safety ambassadors and to encourage motorists to change their mind-set around road usage and rules.”

Last year during the Easter period, South Africa’s N1/N4 and N3 Toll Routes saw the heaviest traffic volumes recorded along major arterial routes leading out of Gauteng, with N1 north to Limpopo, N1 south to the Free State, the N3 to KwaZulu Natal and N4 towards Mpumalanga, being the busiest.

In fact, an average of 2 200 vehicles per hour passed through the toll gates. This indicates a massive amount of road users over this time and as a result, Imperial Road Safety will be using this as an opportunity to support and educate travellers around critical road safety aspects.

The activations will take place as follows:

1. N1N4 Bakwena Toll Route Concessionaire handover & support

Between March 16 – 29, Imperial road Safety, in partnership with Europcar, will be handing over 5 vehicles to the Bakwena Toll Route Concessionaires, aimed at route patrol support, post-crash care and breakdown assistance.

1. Break and Tyre Watch, Estcourt

On March 16, Imperial Road Safety will be taking part in Fleetwatch Magazine’s infamous Brake & Tyre Watch event in Estcourt, which addresses un-roadworthy trucks and heavy commercial vehicles – through the checking of brakes, tyres and other aspects that may have an impact on the safety of the vehicle.

1. Shell Ultra City Activations with Bongie (Buckle Up Buddy road safety mascot)

Between March 18 – 28, Imperial will launch their road safety mascot – Bongie – at a number of Shell Ultra Cities along the N3 Toll Routes. Bongie will be greeting kids and handing out road safety material as well as ‘Buckle Up Buddy’ stickers to educate and encourage children to become road smart and safe while travelling. Dates include:

• 18 – 20 March, Estcourt Ultra City (south bound)
• 28 March, Estcourt Ultra City (north bound)
• 21 March, Ushaka Marine World
• 22 March, Umhlanga beaches
• 23 March, Lifestyle Centres in Ballito

“We hope that with continued outreach, focused in many areas of road safety, we will start seeing a change. However, it must be said that it is up to us – South Africa’s road users – to take responsibility for our actions and ensure that we are part of the change by committing to safe road usage, every day, every time we use the roads. Road safety starts with you!” Cronje said.

(Imperial Holdings is a JSE listed South African-based international group of companies active predominantly in three major areas of mobility: consumer and industrial logistics; vehicle import, distribution, dealerships, retail, rental and aftermarket parts; and vehicle-related financial services.)  www.imperial.co.za

Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.

Please read our WhatsApp broadcast list disclaimer.
Join us on BBM at 59015786
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.