VIDEO: City launches Easter weekend road safety campaign
Authorities will be working around the clock to reduce road fatalities this Easter weekend.
Authorities will be working around the clock to reduce road fatalities this Easter weekend, said TMPD chief Lieutenant-General Johanna Nkomo.
This year the focus will be on illegal pedestrian movement on highways, illicit substance abuse and road violations such as overloaded trailers
Nkomo was speaking at the Watloo testing centre on Wednesday during the launch of the city’s Easter road safety awareness campaign.
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The long weekend operations will not, however, only focus on traffic violations but also on crime prevention as the police will be on hand to search vehicles for any contraband.
“We wish to keep the number of fatalities at zero as opposed to the nine fatalities that were reported last year during this period,” she said.
“One death on our roads is too much.”
Free flow of traffic is also a priority and pointsmen will be deployed to help traffic flow.
Officials on the road will also be checking vehicles for roadworthiness and enforce road rules.
“This year we are going to adopt a zero-tolerance policing approach,” she said.
“Nothing too big or too little that we will not take into account because it takes one mistake to create havoc on the road.”
Authorities will also be cracking down on drinking establishments such as pubs and taverns to ensure that they close on time.
“We are warning the community in advance to have designated drivers or to use Uber or meter taxis if they will be drinking.”
“More than 90 percent of road deaths are because of traffic violations,” said MMC for community safety Derrick Kissoonduth.
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“If everyone starts taking responsibility of their behaviour, we will see a reduced number of accidents and deaths,” he said.
He said authorities have plans in place city-wide to crack down on crime such as motor vehicle thefts.
“We have mapped our routes, sharpened our strategies and all our personnel are ready for the big rush this coming weekend.”
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