Durban – Before you plan your road trip this festive season, make sure your vehicle is roadworthy. This is the warning from the Road Traffic Management Corporation.
The RTMC added that law enforcement operations are being ramped up ahead of the December rush and officers are clamping down on unroadworthy vehicles.
“The National Traffic Police inspected 150 trucks travelling on the N3 near Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu Natal this weekend. A total of 122 traffic fines were issued.
“On the N2 in Pongola, 25 trucks were inspected, while seven truck drivers were arrested for reckless and negligent driving. Four trucks were discontinued," said RTMC spokesperson, Simon Zwane.
He said defective brakes, burst tyres and defective lights were contributing factors in fatal road crashes.
Zwane warned that with heavy rainfalls predicted for this period, it was also important to ensure that wipers were in a perfect state as they affected visibility on rainy days.
"Law enforcement officer will not hesitate to discontinue and even impound vehicles with the above defects, including cracked windscreens.
“The impoundment of a vehicle will cause great inconvenience to a travelling motorist as they will have to fix the vehicle at extra costs. The vehicle (must be) taken for roadworthy tests before it is allowed on the road again.
“This will be in addition to traffic fines and impoundment fees. The last thing anybody wants to experience is to have their trip interrupted by foreseeable and preventable factors," he said.
The RTMC further urged motorists to rather use public transport services if they were planning to consume alcohol.
"Drunk driving is another contributor to road crashes and law enforcement officers are scaling up their operations to deal with this challenge.
“Those who are planning to use their end-of-year bonuses to buy driving licences are warned that anti-corruption agents are keeping an eye on transactions conducted at licensing centres.
“Last month, 15 motorists were arrested for displaying fraudulent discs on their vehicles and four traffic officials were arrested for (alleged) bribery, fraud and corruption," Zwane said.
IOL