Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe has announced a road-safety initiative that will be piloted this festive season, his office said on Tuesday.
The ”Nokeng tsa Taemane” road-safety project was jointly launched with the festive-season campaign ”Let’s Remember” at Rayton Nokeng tsa Taemane in the eastern Gauteng area.
The purpose of the projects is to reduce road fatalities.
”The annual tragedy in traffic is not an act of fate. History has shown that it is possible to make a successful contribution to the fight against road accidents. Road accidents are the work of man. We create them ourselves and we must therefore also solve the problem,” said Radebe in a speech.
A zero-tolerance attitude to road offences will be adopted by all law enforcers.
”Critical offences and contributory factors to accidents are drinking and driving, speeding, overloading of passengers and goods, not wearing seatbelts, moving violations and unroadworthy vehicles.”
Radebe also pointed out safety tips to which the public should adhere: always wearing a seat belt; not driving too fast (speed is a factor in 75% of fatal crashes); being patient; wearing bright clothes at night; and not driving drunk.
He said frequent stops for long-distance trips are necessary. ”When tired, rest every two hours or every 200km, and service and maintain your vehicle properly.” — Sapa