Motorists cautioned as road fatalities soar

The Department of Transport has pleaded with motorists to be responsible on the country's roads and to adhere to traffic regulations in order to avoid becoming statistics.

This follows yesterday's horrific crash when an entire family of four was killed when their car collided head-on with a Putco bus on the notorious Moloto Road outside Pretoria.

The parents and their two toddlers, a one-year-old and a three-year-old boy, were killed instantly after their Daewoo sedan collided with a bus carrying 31 passengers travelling in the opposite direction towards Pretoria at around 6am.

Department spokesman Ashref Ismail said preliminary investigations indicate that none of the four family members had their safety belts strapped on.

Ismail said the mother was driving the car, with the three-year-old on the front passenger seat and the dad on the back seat.

Allegations surfaced yesterday that the one-year-old was sitting on his mother's lap and that she was busy breast-feeding him behind the wheel.

"We can have as many safety campaigns, road blocks, but motorists and passengers should ultimately be responsible," he said.

In the past 18 days, eight major accidents have claimed 75 lives, 90% of those being as a result of driver error, said Ismail.

The family was driving towards KwaMhlanga when the woman apparently lost control of the car.

According to ER24 spokesman Derrick Banks, 35 bus passengers sustained minor injuries, with the driver and another woman being in a critical condition. They were airlifted to Netcare Unitas hospital.

"She was found outside the bus . and had suffered severe traumatic injuries to her legs," he said, adding that both her legs had to be amputated.

Police spokesman Johannes Japhta said claims that the mother was breast-feeding the toddler while driving would form part of the investigation into the accident.

"We heard the rumours but there is no formal statement affirming this . but we are taking statements from eyewitnesses," he said.

Meanwhile, three women were killed instantly and two others - including a pregnant woman - were rushed to Atteridgeville's Kalafong Hospital in a critical condition after they were run over by a truck that veered off Potgieter Street in Pretoria yesterday afternoon.