We are aware of the inability of Eskom to meet the electricity needs of South Africa. This has been given ample attention in the media – and most South Africans have experienced the inconvenience of a break in power supply. But has anyone given any attention to the effect of load shedding on road safety – and where can we go to find some light on the subject of load shedding?
I must admit the pleasant surprise of finding a website by Eskom devoted to load shedding at http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za//
This site provides interesting info on the subject of load shedding, including the following:
What is load shedding?
When there is not enough electricity available to meet the demand from all Eskom’s customers, it could be necessary to interrupt supply to certain areas. This is called load shedding.
Load shedding is further described as:
• A last resort measure. Only when all other options at its disposal have been exhausted, such as running its power stations at maximum capacity and interrupting supply to industrial customers with special contracts will Eskom cut supply to other customers.
• A controlled way of rotating the available electricity between all customers. Load shedding schedules are drawn up to ensure that a few areas do not bear the brunt of the shortages. By spreading the impact, affected areas are not interrupted for more than two hours at a time, and in most cases customers can be informed of interruptions in advance.
• An effective way to avoid blackouts. Shortages on the electricity system unbalance the network, which can cause it to collapse. By rotating the load in a planned and controlled manner, the system remains stable.
The website also provides tips and hints that could limit the effect on the public. I have searched for those aspects that could be important for road safety, and found the following:
• Ensure that your cell phone is always fully charged when power is available.
• Ensure that your vehicle (car, bakkie, motorcycle, etc) always has fuel in the tank since during power outages, petrol stations cannot pump fuel.
• Keep temporary lighting readily available, e.g. electric torches, candles, etc. Be sure to locate these items in places where they will be easy to find in the dark.
The above information does not say much about possible road safety scenarios and we need to consider some other important aspects as well.
• Inadequate street lighting
Power outages could remove important road safety features such as street lighting. This makes it extremely difficult for motorists to spot road hazards such as potholes, debris and even pedestrians on the road surface. Good advice would be to slow down and thus increase the time to evade these possible dangers! If there are no oncoming traffic it is advisable to drive with your lights on bright to increase the distance of the visible surface.
• Traffic lights
Most of the frustration on the road is caused by delays when traffic lights are out! All road users need to be aware that this then becomes a four-way stop and motorists need to pay attention and be considerate towards other motorists. Load shedding need not contribute towards road rage!
• Safety from criminal elements
Motorists must be attentive to the dangers of criminals lurking in the dark. During load shedding it is possible that hijackers and “smash and grab” criminals might see an opportunity for themselves – be attentive and raise your levels of awareness!
One of the road safety slogans is “Be Visible Be Seen!”. Load shedding makes this even more important. The Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog would like to urge motorists to raise their concentration to aspects of road safety during load shedding – and urge the role players in the energy sector to investigate alternatives such as solar power for traffic lights, street lighting and road signage!
Also view “Road Safety and Load Shedding”
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