Thoughtless drivers delay critical care

Careless drivers and truckers are the bane of emergency services on the North Coast, said Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) search and rescue specialist Nazir Sadack.

Driving into central Tongaat to respond to a medical emergency earlier this week, one responder told the Courier he had been blocked access to the scene by a gigantic horse and trailer that navigated through the CBD, holding up emergency services and critical support units.

It was obvious that the driver had chosen the route through Tongaat rather than pay toll fees.

A local trucking company director, who asked not to be named admitted, they were aware of the bypasses that truck drivers make to avoid the toll plazas.

“I know the drivers deliberately take these routes, as much as they try to stay off the main roads because it means they save on toll fees,” said the businessman.

Having responded to countless emergencies, Sadack stresses that drivers need to be alert and aware of traffic around them to notice ambulances or response vehicles with their lights and sirens, and give way as soon as possible.

“What often happens is that drivers get a shock when a response vehicle arrives behind them, and their instincts make them slam on their brakes.

Never do that, and maintain your speed until you find a place to pull over to the left as quickly as possible to allow the response unit to pass,” said Sadack, who said the high number of trucks on the M4 are a hazard.

The gravity behind being slowed from 100 kilometres an hour to 40 or 50 on a narrow municipal highway that is often the only route to respond to emergencies appears to be ignored by truck drivers and absent-minded motorists who proceed along in a world of their own, pointed out Sadack.

The local trucking fleet owner understands the need for trucks to remain out of the way of peak traffic when possible, but admits that little can be done to control the decisions of the driver.

“If we know a truck is heading to a particular area, we will take a back road to avoid traffic, but with the toll plazas and their fees we notice that drivers often take the congested public roads to avoid them.”

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