Animals on South African roads might be BIG!!

Something you might not face on the roads in Europe! The Arrive Alive Website was provided with a photo titled “When do you know the precise moment to sh.t in your pants?”

Foreign visitors need not fear – this photo was taken in a nature reserve and not on the road between cities. Even though we need to be cautious at all times. - it is highly unlikely that you will have a similar experience such as the couple in this vehicle!

For road safety advice and suggestions when traveling across South Africa – visit the Arrive Alive Road Safety Website or even from your cellular phone the mobile website arrivealive.mobi

Certified vehicles for 2008 under Taxi Recapitalization

At the launch of the Road Safety Campaign ‘Operation Juggernaut’, Mr Jeff Radebe, MP Minister of Transport reflected on the Taxi Recapitalization Program. He revealed that Government has, through the Transport Action Plan, allocated R9.2Bn to make sure that come 2010 our road network infrastructure is able to transport passengers safely. The Taxi Recapitalization Program targets the recapitalization of 80 % of the current taxi fleet by 2010. At the end of January 2008 more than 13 261 Old Taxi Vehicles have been scrapped.

An important aspect of Taxi Recapitalization is not only scrapping the old taxi’s, but also to implement safety requirements on new vehicles and to certify which vehicles may be used to transport commuters from here on!

The list of certified vehicles for 2008 has been released by the Department of Transport and will be updated twice per month. This list also includes the detail of authorized builders of vehicle bodies and converters.

Bakwena responds to community concerned about road safety

On the 28th of April this Blog featured a story titled “Community activism required for road safety”. This featured the plea from a concerned community in Rustenburg next to the N4 Bakwena highway – a plea for more attention to road safety in this area.

This was shared with the National Roads Agency and I am pleased to reveal that a response was received earlier today from the Operationa Manager of the Bakwena Concessionaire.

I would like to quote from the response:

“We have been in discussion with the …[the concerned citizen]. Bakwena as the concessionaire for the N1N4 toll road is actively involved with the safety on the roads operated by them.

There are regular meetings with the traffic authorities along the route (North West Province, Limpopo, Gauteng and Tshwane) to discuss safety and enforcement issues. Every incident is investigated by Bakwena to determine the cause of the accidents. The portion of road from Brits to Rustenburg has been monitored and pedestrian fences /bridge installed. In addition the drivers of vehicles have been observed to be particularly aggressive when overtaking slower moving vehicles forcing them into the yellow line or overtaking on the left shoulder on this section of road.

Bakwena currently operated the Mantsole Traffic Control Centre on the N1 and will be operating the Bapong TCC on the N4 when it opens later this year. These facilities do contribute to reducing the number of overloaded and unroadworthy trucks on the roads (both toll and parallel routes).

A public meeting is being arranged next week with the Rustenburg Association of Business where issues including safety will be discussed……”

The Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog would like to extend a word of appreciation to the National Roads Agency and the Bakwena Concessionaire in addressing these concerns. It is important for road safety that the public can share in road safety efforts and that there is cooperation with other role players and road authorities.

We would like to invite the public to share their concerns via this Blog and the Arrive Alive Road Safety Website.

Road Safety collaboration to benefit Nigeria

A friend once remarked that there is no limit to your success if you do not mind who receives the credit. Another said that the secret of his success was that he discovered at an early age that “he is not God”. Perhaps these are 2 of the most important lessons to remember when attempting something as important as raising road safety awareness.

In an earlier post on this blog I referred to the fact that” there are many road safety related websites, bloggers, journalists who have committed themselves to assist Transport authorities in creating awareness of road safety. These individuals and NGO’s believe in the bigger picture, that there are different spheres of expertise in different sectors of society and that we all need to do our utmost to protect the lives of all road users…”

The Arrive Alive Road Safety Website has over the past 5 years worked hard at creating awareness of road safety, especially with a focus towards South Africa. This has included efforts such as the ArriveAlive.co.za group on Facebook as well as the recently developed mobile road safety website at arrivealive.mobi

When approached by a friend from Nigeria, we volunteered to assist in the wider distribution of road safety messages in that region. In a 2007 article on Worldpress.org it was revealed that “It is not just that there are more accidents in Nigeria; it is that the accidents are more deadly. Officially, around 50 percent were fatal in 2006, and that figure has been much higher in other years. Serious injuries are even more common. Out of the 9,114 reported accidents in 2006, 17,390 people wound up in hospital.”

It is perhaps not that well known that several NGO’s and Corporate Companies have been involved in efforts to enhance road safety in Nigeria. I am well aware of the contribution by Chevron towards Arrive Alive Initiatives in Nigeria, and we can only hope that the mobile road safety website at Nigeria.arrivealive.mobi will contribute towards these efforts.

The Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog will strive towards including regular updates on the road safety efforts in Nigeria, and would like to invite all Nigerians and friends from across the globe to add their suggestions and recommendations on these efforts!!

Netcare 911 stats: 456 long weekend collisions in SA

During the past long weekend, from midnight on Thursday 01 May 2008 until midnight on Sunday 04 May 2008, the Netcare 911 call centre dispatched emergency vehicles to 401 motor vehicle collisions and 55 pedestrian collisions totalling 456 collisions throughout South Africa during the 96 hour time period.

Thankfully these numbers are down on last weekends collisions which totalled 590 in 96 hours.

Thursday 01 May 2008: 101 motor vehicle and 20 pedestrian collisions in SA, totalling 121 for the day.
The four busiest regions were:

1) Gauteng region: 42 motor vehicle and 12 pedestrian collisions.
2) Kzn region: 23 motor vehicle and 4 pedestrian collisions.
3) Cape region: 11 motor vehicle and 1 pedestrian collision.
4) Mpumalanga region: 9 motor vehicle and 0 pedestrian collisions.

Friday 02 May 2008: 96 motor vehicle and 15 pedestrian collisions in SA, totalling 111 for the day.
The four busiest regions were:

1) Gauteng region: 49 motor vehicle and 7 pedestrian collisions.
2) Kzn region: 17 motor vehicle and 2 pedestrian collisions.
3) Cape region: 11 motor vehicle and 4 pedestrian collisions.
4) Mpumalanga region: 5 motor vehicle and 1 pedestrian collision.

Saturday 03 May 2008: 108 motor vehicle and 10 pedestrian collisions in SA, totalling 118 for the day.
The four busiest regions were:

1) Gauteng region: 56 motor vehicle and 2 pedestrian collisions.
2) Kzn region: 16 motor vehicle and 3 pedestrian collisions.
3) Cape region: 8 motor vehicle and 3 pedestrian collisions.
4) Free State region: 9 motor vehicle and 0 pedestrian collisions.

Sunday 04 May 2008: 96 motor vehicle and 10 pedestrian collisions in SA, totalling 106 for the day.
The four busiest regions were:

1) Gauteng region: 29 motor vehicle and 2 pedestrian collisions.
2) Kzn region: 20 motor vehicle and 0 pedestrian collisions.
3) Cape region: 11 motor vehicle and 2 pedestrian collisions.
4) Free State region: 10 motor vehicle and 1 pedestrian collision.

The stats show that Gauteng was the busiest region comprising almost 44% of the national collision totals.

[ Information provided by Netcare 911 to the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog]

NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911

7 Killed, 10 injured in M1 taxi smash

At approximately 19h30 this evening, Sunday 04 May 2008, Netcare 911 responded to a report of a serious collision on the M1 highway above Empire road, Johannesburg.
 
It was alleged that the minibus taxi was returning from a church service in Tembisa when the incident occurred. The minibus taxi was travelling towards Johannesburg, skid marks show that the vehicle veered across the road and side swiped the centre concrete wall that had a steel armco barrier above it. Most of the drivers side of the taxi was sheered off exposing the occupants. Four occupants were ejected at the place where the taxi collided with the barrier, all four died at the scene. The taxi did not over turn but rather carried on driving for about another 400 meters before coming to rest in the emergency lane. A further 3 people died at that location. Paramedics from various services attended to 10 injured commuters, 1 was in a critical condition, 6 sustained serious injuries and 3 were lucky to escape with minor injuries. The driver was one of the people who died at the scene, most of the deceased victims sustained severe blunt trauma injuries.
 
All three lanes of the M1 south were closed to traffic while emergency workers attended to the incident. The fire department used pressurised water to wash the road at the two points. The highway was reopened to traffic just after 10pm.
 
This incident was attended to by paramedics from the private and provincial ambulance services, fire department and the Metro Police and their specialist Accident Investigation Unit.

[ Information provided by Netcare 911 to the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog]

NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911

 

National long weekend collision stats + fatal Pta bus smash

At approximately 08h14 this morning, Sunday 04 May 2008, Netcare 911 responded to reports of a serious collision on the Moloto road about ten kilometers outside of Pretoria.

Paramedics found that a bus and a car were involved in a fatal collision. Two occupants of the car were killed in the incident and fire fighters had to use the “jaws of life” to free their bodies from the wreckage. Rescue personnel attended to a total of 32 patients at the scene, the majority of these were lucky to escape with relatively minor injuries. The injured were transported by ambulances from various services to the Pretoria Academic and Mamelodi hospitals.

This incident was attended to by paramedics from the private and provincial ambulances services, fire department and the traffic police.

Long weekend collision stats:

Since midnight on Thursday 01 May until 23h59 on Saturday 03 May 2008, in a time period of 72 hours, the Netcare 911 call centre has dispatched emergency vehicles to 305 motor vehicle and 45 pedestrian collisions, totalling 350 collisions throughout South Africa.

During a 96 hour time period last weekend, the Netcare 911 call centre dispatched emergency vehicles to 516 motor vehicle and 74 pedestrian collision totalling 590 incidents throughout South Africa. We are hoping that this long weekends totals will be less that the high number from last weekend.

The Netcare 911 long weekend stats for regional and national collisions will be updated on Monday 05 May 2008.

[ Information provided by Netcare 911 to the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog]

NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911

Caution required on the road back from the long weekend!

It is reported that more than 100 were injured in car accidents in Limpopo over the long weekend. Drunken driving and speeding have been identified as contributing factors to these accidents. Motorists have been cautioned to exercise caution, as traffic is increasing as South Africans return home from the long weekend

Motorists are advised to follow the following recommendations:

1 Obey the rules of the road and carry you drivers license with you.

2 Plan the route to your holiday destination and give your self enough time to reach the destination

3 Make sure that your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition before departure. All lights and indicators, windscreen wipers, brakes, steering, exhaust system and tyres should be carefully examined for faults.

4 Do not overload.

5 Try to avoid driving after dark if possible.

6 Have a good rest before you embark on your journey

7 Take safety breaks every 2 hours or 200km

8 Do not drink and drive

9 Try to recognize potentially dangerous drivers on and pedestrians alongside the road and keep well clear of them

10 Be visible – drive with your lights on

11 Headlights should be dipped well before an approaching vehicle is within range of the main beam.

12 Always wear your seat belt and see that everyone in the car is wearing theirs.

13 Drive defensively

14 Stay within the speed limit at all times

15 Only overtake when it is absolutely safe to do so

16 Maintain at least a 2 second following distance - this distance should be increased at night, in foggy or rainy conditions and when the road is wet.

17 Expect others not to be as obedient to the law as yourself

18 Be courteous towards fellow road users - keep your temper and resist the temptation to retaliate

Happy Workers Day!!

1 May 2008

The Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog would like to wish all South Africans a happy and safe Workers day! Let us not forget about those traffic officials, emergency personnel, paramedics who have to work on this public holiday!

If we can ride in Lesotho, we can help in Lesotho!

This is the slogan of quad bike enthusiasts trying to give back to the community in Lesotho. Over the past year many quad bikers have enjoyed the beauty of the Kingdom of Lesotho and the hospitality of the people in the remotest of areas. These riders have decided to offer their assistance in renovating a church near the Malealea Lodge in Lesotho.

The quad bike website Quad24.co.za has focused on many travels across Lesotho and has also been able to include photos of areas we will only find in the best travel magazines. We have included content on quad bike safety, advice on planning a trip across Lesotho and even advice on how to protect the environment when visiting these areas. It is now also an honour for Quad24 to contribute towards something that will enhance the lives of the people in and around Malealea.

May we never forget that we don’t just live for ourselves - but also to assist those less privileged!