The Easter death toll has risen to 11 in Mpumalanga over the Easter weekend with eMalahleni and Ga-Nala also added to the tally.
On Friday, April 19 two people lost their lives on the R555 at around 17:30 when a Volkswagen Crafter 22 Seater bus and a Mazda 2 collided head-on.
According to the driver of the Crafter, Mr Titus Mashiloane, the driver of the Mazda was on her phone and she allegedly veered into the oncoming traffic lane.
“I tried to avoid the collision but the accident was inevitable,” a very shocked Mashiloane said.
Nineteen of Mashiloane’s passengers were taken to nearby hospitals and treated for injuries.
Both the occupants of the Mazda died on the scene.
The following morning, on April 20, a seven month pregnant woman and her three-year-old child were rushed to Witbank Hospital after sustaining injuries in a head-on collision with a Volkswagen Polo on the R547 near Ga-Nala’s entrance.
It is believed that one of the drivers allegedly overtook another car before the impact.
ER24 reported that besides the injured mom and toddler, two men were also injured. They were transported to Evander Hospital.
By the time of going to press the deceased were not yet identified.
Although 29 accidents were reported on the N4 Toll Route between April 18 and April 22, there were no fatalities reported on the South African section of the route.
“There was also a considerable decline in accidents overall, compared to 2018, even though record traffic volumes were experienced over the long weekend,” said Solange Soares Nicholson, Trans African Concession’s (TRAC) communications officer. TRAC manages the N4 Toll Route.
As expected, a major increase in traffic was recorded over the Easter weekend, with hourly counts at TRAC’s biggest and busiest South African toll plaza, Middelburg, reaching over 2 450 cars on Monday, April 22.
Soares Nicholson said one of the key contributors to a safer N4 this Easter was the TRAC N4 Easter Road Safety Awareness and Swift Response Campaign.
This initiative saw the bulk of Mpumalanga Emergency Services and TRAC Assist teams stationed at strategic points along the route to reduce response times to roadside emergencies and incidents.
Another contributing factor was the high visibility of traffic and law enforcement authorities throughout the 570km route.
Their constant presence ensured that motorists were more road safety conscious and respected road rules and regulations.
