Decline in long weekend road fatalities welcomed by MEC
The MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Nandi Ndalane, welcomed the decline in accidents and fatalities over the past long weekend but remains grossly concerned by the attitude and behaviour of road users.
POLOKWANE – Over the long weekend, 33 people died on the province’s roads, while during the same period last year, 48 people died. This is a much welcomed decline of 15 lives from the Department of Transport’s point of view, according to Joshua Kwapa, Spokesperson for the department.
“This year a total of 73 accidents were recorded against 77 accidents during the same period last year. This is welcome news after the Easter weekend statistics which were not very pleasing. We shall build on this decrease and ensure we further improve on it in our quest to rid our roads of carnage,” Ndalane said.
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The department remains grossly concerned about the attitude and behaviour of road users, however, the majority of accidents over the weekend were because of drivers losing control of their vehicles, which then overturned.
The other factors included reckless and negligent driving, pedestrians on the roadway, drunk driving, head-on collisions, unsafe overtaking, and speeding. The department feels all these factors are a result of human behaviour and can be corrected.
Pedestrian deaths continue to be a huge distress. A nine-year-old boy was killed by a vehicle in a hit-and-run incident on the R518 in Mokopane while crossing the road. The vehicle involved in the incident was identified by the numberplate which was left behind at the scene.
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In another horrific incident, four people died on road D1235 in Northam when a bakkie and a sedan collided head-on. Two passengers were injured, one sustained minor and the other serious injuries.
“We remain concerned by the behaviour of road users which continues unabated and results in fatal crashes on our roads. Road carnage can be beaten only if we change our behaviour and attitude and obey all the rules of the road. We shall continue to enforce the law and improve on our road safety awareness and education campaigns,” said Ndalane.
She advised the people of Limpopo to make road safety their primary responsibility and added that the Department of Transport shall continue to improve its resources and work harder in enforcing the law and imparting information on road safety.
