Durban July: Traffic authorities embark on road safety campaign

Road traffic authorities from a number pf provinces are to embark on a heighten road safety campaign and highly visible law enforcement on the N3 national highway this weekend targeting motorists travelling to the east coast‚ the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said on Thursday.

Traffic is expected to peak along this route from Friday as travellers will be heading to Durban to attend the July Handicap‚ horse racing event. Heavy traffic is also expected on Sunday until Monday when travellers return from the event.

RTMC spokesman Luthando Ngilana said road traffic authorities from Gauteng‚ Mpumalanga‚ Free State‚ KwaZulu-Natal‚ as well as the RTMC would be stationed at key points along the route to educate motorists about safety including respect for other motorists‚ avoiding road rage‚ fatigue‚ reduce speed‚ avoiding alcohol and intoxicating drugs while driving and avoiding the use of cell phones when driving.

Disabled activists from the Self Help Association for Paraplegics are also expected to join the campaign at some of the identified spots.

“The N3 is one of the dangerous routes in South Africa with the high flow of heavy vehicles and motorists are urged to travel during daylight to avoid crashes. There are numerous hazardous spots along this route. These include pedestrians crossing the roads near Vosloorus in Gauteng and Howick in KwaZulu-Natal.

“The portion of the road between Villiers and Harrismith experiences high crashes. The Van Reenen Pass outside Harrismith and Hilton in Pietermaritzburg experience dense mist around this time of the year and motorists are urged to be cautious especially in the mornings. Veld fires are very common during this time of the year and they affect visibility on the road.”

Statistics analysed by the RTMC indicate that the month of July is one of the periods in which the country experiences a high number of road crash fatalities.

Most crashes occur on Friday‚ Saturday‚ Sunday and Monday and generally happen between 18h00 and 06h00.

RDM News Wire.