N1 claims another two lives in head-on smash

At approximately 18h28 tonight, Monday 05 November 2007, Netcare 911 paramedics responded to a report of a very serious collision on the N1 direction towards Pretoria just past the Beyers Naude bridge in Randburg, Johannesburg.

Paramedics arrived on scene to find that three vehicles had been involved in the collision. An eye witness alleged that one of the cars was travelling on the wrong side of the highway and collided with the other car. Both cars were the same make and model. A bakkie was unable to stop and crashed into the scene. Both the cars sustained massive frontal damage and both drivers appeared to have died on impact. They were declared dead at the scene by the paramedics. Two other people in the bakkie escaped with minor injuries.

Fire fighters had to use the “jaws of life” to free the deceased victims from the wreckages.
One lane of the highway was closed to traffic during the incident.

The Metro police were on the scene and are investigating the incident.

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

NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911

Who is to blame for underage drivers on South African roads?

Is it only the young unlicensed drivers who should accept the blame for their actions – or are some parents at fault as well?! The following scenario came to the attention of the National Traffic Call Centre at the RTMC:

In June 2007, a 19 year old son took mummy’s car for a joy ride and did doughnut turns in front of his sister’s peers at the sister’s school. He was reported to the National Traffic Call Centre by a registered traffic observer, for reckless and inconsiderate and obviously dangerous driver behaviour. The teenage has no driver’s license, let alone a learner’s license.

Mommy received a courtesy letter from the Call Centre bringing the incident to her immediate attention. She called to inform the Centre that she suspects her teenaged son was the driver on the day of the incident. Her son had denied that he was driving the car. She informed the centre that her son does not have a driver’s license, even a learner’s license. He had been living in the Eastern Cape’s rural villages and has since moved to Gauteng. She has not had the time to send him for his driving tests.

She informed the centre that she had on several occasions, requested her son to drive with her in the vehicle. On this, the Traffic Call Centre strongly objected to such behaviour as it encouraged the son to drive the vehicle, even in her absence and might ruin his future. And should his son be involved in a collision, she will also be held liable.

The mother was advised to take her son for a learner’s test as he is of legal age to have a driver’s license and never to allow her son drive the vehicle without having either a driver’s license or a learner’s license without a person holding a driver’s license present in the vehicle.

The Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog would like to emphasize the importance of greater awareness on the dangers of underage driving.

The section: “Underage Driving and Road Safety” also includes aspects such as :

• The facts about underage driving
• Why do underage drivers pose such a significant risk?
• Advice for parents