Pretoria - The Gauteng Traffic Police on Thursday urged road users to exercise care and caution ahead of the long weekend of Heritage Day.
Throngs of road users and holidaymakers are expected to travel to various destinations to spend time with their families and friends during the holiday period.
“Major roads exiting and leading to Gauteng province are expected to be heavily congested starting from Thursday, 23rd and again on Sunday, 26th September 2021,” said Gauteng Traffic Police Spokesperson Sello Maremane.
He said the following freeways and routes are expected to be busy this long weekend:
• The N3 Johannesburg to Durban
• The N12 Johannesburg to Potchefstroom
• The N1 Pretoria to Polokwane
• The N4 Pretoria to Rustenburg
• The N4 Pretoria to Mpumalanga
Last year statistics showed that last year between September 22 and September 28, 49 people lost their lives on Gauteng roads.
“These statistics are highly regrettable and therefore a stark reminder that road users must obey the rules and regulations of the road to save lives. Many road fatalities were a result of unsafe overtaking, overspeeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and general disregard of the rules of the road or road traffic signs amongst others. Road safety is the responsibility of every road user,” said Maremane.
The Gauteng Traffic Police shared some safety tips for road users:
• Before undertaking any trip, motorists should conduct a pre-trip inspection on their vehicles to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy.
• Drivers should at all times adhere to the rules and regulations of the road.
• Passengers must refuse to travel in any vehicle which is visibly unroadworthy.
• Motorcyclists must refrain from overtaking any vehicle where it might be potentially dangerous to do so.
• Pedestrians must never use our roads while intoxicated and they should wear visible clothing at night as they remain vulnerable especially on our freeways.
• Motorists should be on the lookout for people putting spikes or other objects on the road with the intention of robbing them.
“We urge all categories of road users, namely, drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians to remain vigilant at all times when using our roads during this period,” said Maremane.
“The Gauteng Traffic Police will be on high alert during this period in order to save the lives of road users and will lead a series of road safety activations and operations in various crime hotspots as part of the Road Safety programme.”
IOL