Road carnage is at its worst
Emergency personnel fear that as the festive season reaches its peak, things are only bound to get worse.
Four deaths and 31 seriously injured patients later, emergency personnel are describing this weekend’s road carnage as the worst they have seen in a long time.
Among the dead are a pregnant woman, a man whose badly mutilated body was taken to the mortuary in pieces, and the mother of a one-year-old child left vulnerable and alone at the Madadeni Hospital.
Emergency personnel fear that as the festive season reaches its peak, things are only bound to get worse.
A collision at the Durnacol turnoff involving a bakkie carrying 15 passengers on Sunday, left two dead, two critically injured and 11 seriously injured. Witnesses speculated that the passengers on the back of the bakkie weighed too much for the driver to control the vehicle properly.
A collision in the same area three days before, left the passenger of a bakkie badly mutilated, while the driver sustained severe injuries and passed away later in hospital.
A taxi crash at the N11 and Albert Wessels Drive intersection late Sunday night, resulted in seven serious injuries, while a head-on collision on the Memel Road left four seriously injured.
ER24 paramedic, Margery Meijrink, warned that, collectively, emergency services in Newcastle would not have sufficient equipment to cope with all the collisions taking place so quickly in succession.
While encouraging drivers to be patient and exercise caution to ensure that they reach their destination safely, Ms Meijrink also warned that driving too slowly could be just as dangerous as speeding.
“I have observed that people driving, for example, between 40km/h and 60km/h in a 100km/h or 120km/h zone cause traffic to build up behind them. Once traffic builds up, motorists are more likely to get impatient and to take a chance on the road that could lead to a serious accident,” she warned.
She went advised motorists to ensure that their vehicle are roadworthy before embarking on a long trip, and encouraged holidaymakers to allow for extra time to avoid unnecessary stress.
“Another thing I have observed is that road markings are not necessarily a reliable indication of whether it is safe to overtake or not. Make double sure that there is nothing oncoming and remember that it is not safe for two vehicles to overtake at the same time. The vehicle in front of you will be obstructing your view and you may not have enough time to get back into your lane, so rather wait your turn,” Ms Meijrink advised.
Other tips Ms Meijrink offered to ensure a safe festive season, are reducing speed in wet weather, maintaining a safe following distance, using indicators, and driving with headlights on.
“Something that scares me is the number of people driving while intoxicated over the festive season. We’ve seen people actually driving with a beer between their legs,” continued Ms Meijrink. “Another thing that always makes me angry is a negligent parent who allows his or her children to sit free [unrestrained] on the seat. Sometimes we see children standing on the seat or sitting on someone’s lap on the front seat. Please, parents, if you love your children, make sure they are secure.”
Drivers will have many unforeseen obstacles on the road, including potholes and roaming animals, and in many cases the ability to react quickly and decisively could mean the difference between life and death. Ms Meijrink warned that exhaustion was a major contributor to collisions as it affected the ability to react. “An accident can happen in just the blink of an eye, so make sure you are well rested and alert.”
Finally, Ms Meijrink advised how motorists should respond when they saw an emergency vehicle approaching:
“Some people see and ambulance coming and panic. They either slow down or slam brakes. You should never do that because then you could cause another accident. Continue with the same speed you were going until you see an opportunity to pull to the left safely, so that the ambulance can get past,” she said.
Ms Meijrink commended her officials in the fire department, traffic department, and SAPS, as well as medical personnel at the hospitals. “The way in which all these departments work as a team in Newcastle to respond to an emergency is really awesome.”
