Caution required when traveling with pets!

Before New Year’s celebrations we are cautioned of the risks to our animals. We are warned about the risks of crackers and the sensitive hearing of our pets. Yet, every day we find motorists with dogs all over them and all over the moving vehicles. We find dogs sweating in the confinement of a vehicle whilst their owners enjoy their shopping and coffee table discussions.

A friend asked me whether the Arrive Alive Road Safety Website has dealt with the topic of Road Safety and traveling with pets. This is something I have not previously considered as being part of the Arrive Alive Campaign – but common sense dictates that pets do have a right to Arrive Alive at their destinations as well!

The aspect of animals in vehicles is important when considering safe driving techniques and the need to avoid distractions whilst driving. It is however not only the health of the driver that is at stake – and we might do well to be considerate and care for the health of our pets as well!

Is it safe for the animal to travel or are we merely satisfying our selfish desires to have our pets on vacation? We place a lot of focus on driver fitness – and just perhaps we need to focus on the fitness of our animal companions to travel – those who do not have a voice to raise their opinions…

Animals need our assistance in providing a safe environment. Let us consider the risks to their health and the dangers in the event of an accident. Let us not be selfish on the road!

Paramedics kept busy with 186 collisions this weekend

From Friday morning 08 February 2008 through until Sunday evening 10 February 2008, the Netcare 911 call centre received and dispatched emergency vehicles to 38 pedestrian collisions and 148 motor vehicle collisions in Gauteng. During this time the Netcare 911 helicopter attended to 7 emergency call outs.
Below is a list of some of the more serious incidents:

• Friday morning, paramedics from the provincial and private ambulance services attended to a truck that collided with a bus on the Mabopane highway in Tshwane. Fire fighters had to use the “jaws of life” to free some of the victims and 10 people died at the scene.
• Friday +/- 17h45 : Fatal pedestrian collision on N1 between the Rivonia off ramp and the Buccleuch Interchange. The Netcare 911 helicopter was called to the scene, unfortunately the victim sustained severe injuries and died at the scene. The driver of the car sustained minor injuries and did not go to hospital.
• Friday +/- 22h30: 6 people seriously injured as 2 cars collided on the boundary of Linden and Emmarentia.
• Saturday +/- 03h16: Fatal collision on Hans Strijdom drive in Randburg, two cars involved in a partial head-on smash. 1 Passenger died at the scene and both drivers were critically injured. Both victims were transported by Netcare 911 to the Chris Hani Baragwaneth hospital, 1 was airlifted and the other was transported by road ambulance.
• Saturday +/- 16h00: Pedestrian critically injured and placed onto emergency life support after being struck by a car on William Nicol drive in Hurlingham. The driver of the car sustained minor injuries and did not go to hospital.
• Saturday +/- 18h30: Fatal collision on the Delmas road not far from the Bapsfontein/Bronkhorstspruit four way crossing.The driver and front passenger were killed when their car collided with the front of a truck in a head-on smash. Three other passengers were in a critical condition and were placed onto emergency life support. The sixth victim was in a serious but stable condition. The patients were attended to by paramedics from Netcare 911, Lifemed, provincial ambulance services and transported to the Tembisa and Pretoria Academic hospitals, 1 of the patients was airlifted by the Netcare 911 helicopter. The fire department had to use the “jaws of life” to free the victims from the wreck. SAPS and traffic department also attended the scene.
• Sunday +/- 17h20: The driver of a mini bus taxi lost control of the vehicle after one of the tyres burst on the R21 near to the Nelmapius off ramp and the taxi sub sequentially rolled. Paramedics from the private and provincial services attended to 15 patients at the scene; 14 sustained minor to serious injuries and 1 was in a critical condition and was placed onto emergency life support. The patients were transported to the Tembisa and Pretoria district hospitals.
• Sunday +/- 21h45: Male pedestrian killed after being struck by a car on the N12 close to the Xavier off ramp. The driver of the car sustained minor injuries and was transported by ambulance to hospital for further treatment. This incident was attended to by Netcare 911, provincial fire and ambulance services and the Metro Police.

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

Netcare 911
Emergency No. 082 911

Security guard critical after being knocked down by minibus taxi

At approximately 5:57am, Monday 11 February 2008, Netcare 911 paramedics responded to a report that a man had been knocked down by a minibus taxi at the intersection of William Nicol drive and Monte Casino boulevard in Fourways.

Paramedics found that the security guard was in a critical condition, he was immobilised onto a spinal board and was placed onto emergency life support. The victim was transported a short distance by ambulance to the open car park area of the Monte Casino complex where a safe landing zone was prepared for the Netcare 911 helicopter. The victim was attended to by the flight doctor and was airlifted to the Johannesburg hospital for further treatment.

This incident was attended to by paramedics from Netcare 911, Fourways hospital, Outdoor Medical and the provincial ambulance service. The Metro Police and Monte Casino security also attended the incident.

Safety message:

• Netcare 911 attends to numerous pedestrian accidents during the morning and afternoon rush hours.
• Pedestrian are encouraged to wear visible clothing and to keep their eyes on traffic at all times.
• Pedestrians should only cross at intersections and designated crossings and should only attempt to cross when it is safe and they can reach the other side of the road without having to stop and wait between lanes.
• Motorists need to be aware of the potential danger of pedestrians running between the cars and remember that a collision with a pedestrian has a high chance of producing serious or fatal injuries.

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

NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911

Cleaner critical after large sliding gate falls off its track at popular shopping centre

Around lunch time, Friday 08 February 2008, Netcare 911 paramedics responded to a report that a gate had fallen onto a man at the Design Quarter shopping centre off William Nicol drive in Fourways.

The incident took place in the first basement parking area and it appears that the gate simply opened too far and came off its track before falling. The heavy, slatted steel gate was approximately 7 meters long and about 3 meters high. The victim was cleaning the gate at the time.

The male victim was initially in a serious but stable condition and was fully immobilised onto a spinal board before being transported by ambulance to the Fourways hospital. Unfortunately his condition deteriorated and he was placed onto life support machines by the staff in the hospitals emergency unit. The victim appeared to have sustained a depression fracture to his skull and was in a critical condition.

This incident was attended to by Netcare 911 and the Lonehill fire department.

Safety message:

Netcare 911 has attended to several of these type of incidents in the past and would like to highlight the following safety issues:

• Majority of these emergencies arise from poor quality installations and/or lack of maintenance which may result in the gate falling from its track. To prevent serious injuries, these gates should be held upright by a retaining wall or a safety pole and/or bracket. The gate should have a safety stopper at the end of the track to prevent the rear wheel from sliding right off the end of the track.
• Remember that these are mechanical devices and they need to be maintained, heavier gates create friction and this causes wear and tear which must be monitored.
• Gates that experience high traffic volumes should be inspected/serviced on a regular basis. (Schools, residential complexes, office parks, places of worship etc.)
• Men, woman and children have died as a result of these heavy security gates falling onto them and crushing them between the heavy gate and the solid road surface. If in doubt, contact the manufacturer of the gate/gate motor and request for an authorised installer/service provider to inspect your gate.

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

NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911

6 injured in head on collision

On the night of Friday 8 February 2008 Netcare 911 responded to a motor vehicle accident where two cars were involved in a head on collision in Emmarentia at the intersection of Tana and Linden Rd.

No names have been released at this early stage but it is believed one of the injured is an actress starring in a local daily TV series. A total of six people were injured in the incident, all were transported by ambulance to hospital. Three different hospitals in the area accepted patients from the accident.

As can be seen in the photo’s the impact was severe, five patients were classified as serious but stable and one was critical having sustained numerous injuries.

The impact took place close to the centre of the intersection, with one vehicle ending up on it’s roof.

Metro police investigators were on scene to begin their investigation regarding the circumstances and possible cause of the collision.

Fire-fighters were on scene to assist with patient care and extrication and clean up operations.

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

NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911

eNaTIS makes positive start to 2008

In January 2008 the National Traffic Information System (eNaTIS) dealt effortlessly with a massive increase in driving licence card renewals and the challenge posed by Eskom’s load-shedding programme. ‘As a result of renewals driving licence card transactions rose by more than 70% during January,’ says Werner Koekemoer, eNaTIS project manager. ‘System performance remained outstanding and the transaction increase has had no detrimental effects on overall efficiency.’

A further challenge came in the form of the unexpected power outages that resulted from Eskom’s load-shedding programme. ‘The eNaTIS national data centre is equipped with comprehensive emergency power infrastructure,’ says Koekemoer. ‘This allowed us to maintain 100% system uptime during business hours, although individual service centres experienced power outages during load-shedding periods.’

Driving licence card transactions peaked on 29 January 2008 when 13,050 such transactions were recorded – the highest number for a single day since the inception of the eNaTIS.

A total number of 13,190,971 transactions were recorded during January. This represents a month-on-month increase 26.02% compared to December 2007 (when 10,467,175 transactions were recorded).

The breakdown of the transactions performed during January 2008 is as follows: 67,446 learner’s licence authorisations, 232,122 driving licence card orders, 72,271 vehicle record introductions, 305,699 vehicle registrations and 907,575 vehicle licensing transactions. In addition, 96,788 reports were executed on the system. These reports are utilised for, among others, financial reconciliations and audits.

A total number of 3,972,776 transactions were performed on other computer systems that have interfaces to the eNaTIS (such as those of the South African Police Service, vehicle manufacturers, banks and insurance companies), while users of the eNaTIS application (at registering authorities, testing stations and provincial authorities) performed 9,218,195 transactions.

The Johannesburg service centre once again performed the most transactions (734,094) followed by the City of Cape Town (609,875), Pretoria (577,291), Durban (316,915) and Port Elizabeth (190,374).

With 258,925 transactions BMW SA was the most active non-governmental entity using a system-to-system interface with the eNaTIS, followed by the Delta Motor Corporation (66,183), Mercedes-Benz SA (63,133), Volkswagen SA (57,442) and Toyota SA (46,259).

A detailed breakdown of transactions is available on the eNaTIS Website

Habana Speeds –Up Road Safety Awareness!

Bryan Habana is making a contribution towards the efforts to create awareness of road safety in South Africa. This likeable rugby player has both his feet on solid ground and the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog would like to compliment Bryan in addressing this threat to the safety of so many South Africans! [Click for Full Sized Version ]

Bryan was voted the “Rugby Player of the Year in 2007” and has celebrity status across the world. All South Africans appreciate and respect Bryan for all he has offered to us – perhaps now is the time to repay Bryan for his efforts and to respond to his call for greater safety on the roads!

May this Road Safety Campaign commissioned by Arrive Alive Communications at the Department of Transport make a significant contribution towards changing behavior on the roads!

Visit the Arrive Alive Road Safety Website to view more Road Safety Advertisements.

2 Killed & R59 closed as 3 trucks crash

 At approximately 4:30am, Tuesday 05 February 2008, Netcare 911 responded to reports of a serious collision on the R59 at the Meyer street bridge.

A truck that was travelling from Johannesburg to Vereeniging crashed into the pillar of the Meyer street bridge. The driver was in a serious condition and sustained several fractures. The victim was trapped inside the truck and fire fighters had to use the “jaws of life” to free him. He was stabilised on the scene before being transported by ambulance to the Netcare Union hospital.

While rescuers were attending to the first incident two brick trucks collided on the opposite side of the highway, they were travelling from Vereeniging towards Johannesburg. There was a severe impact on the cab of the rear truck that crashed into the truck in front of it. The two occupants of the truck were killed and fire fighters had to use the “jaws of life” to free their bodies from the wreck. The truck also spilled some of its cargo of bricks onto the road and at this stage the road towards Johannesburg is still closed to traffic.

This incident was attended to by Netcare 911, provincial fie and ambulance services as well as the traffic police and the SAPS.

Safety message:

Motorists are advised to approach collisions scenes with caution, the emergency warnings lights are there to warn road users of a hazard ahead. Motorists should slow down to an appropriate speed and approach the scene carefully, keep your eyes on the road and be aware of emergency vehicles and personnel. Numerous secondary collisions occur at existing incidents, do not be tempted to look at the incident because this means that you will not be watching the road ahead.

[ Information provided by Netcare 911 to the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog]
NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911

Assisting foreigners traveling in South Africa

Are we taking care of our foreigners traveling in South Africa? As we are getting closer to the 2010 World Cup, we will have to increase our efforts to ensure the safety of our foreign visitors. Safety strategies will include a focus on road safety and the Arrive Alive road safety website will also increase efforts to assist foreigners wishing to prepare themselves on-line for their travels.

During the past week the website received the following request for information:

Question: “Thank you for a very informative website which I have read with interest
here in Sweden. My Family and I are visiting South Africa in March to April and we are
planning to drive from Johannesburg to Southbroom and later on to East London through the Transkei. We have heard via residents in South Africa that this is not a wise thing to
do. According to the information we have received traveling through the Transkei in exceptionally dangerous and should not be done. What are Your feelings on this? Are there alternative routes and are there certain routes that should be avoided?
We are looking forward to you advice!”

The Arrive Alive Website responded as follows:

My pleasure to respond! Thanks for the compliments on the website! The National Roads are in good shape and you should have no problems traveling through South Africa. I myself have been to the Transkei last year. [ Beautiful place called "Hole in the Wall"] and my personal observation is that I need to adapt my driving not out of fear for criminal activity – but more as a response to deteriorating road conditions. I will not drive at
night time in Transkei more as a result of the lack of visibility and the possibility of encountering pot-holes…

This question was also referred to the AA and the Road Traffic Inspectorate in KZN

Response from the AA:

Traveling these days through the former Transkei is as safe as traveling anywhere in SA. However, I will recommend daytime traveling as pedestrians and animals seem to be a major problem as well as the ongoing potholes that developed from time to time. Motorists should also refrain from pulling on the side of the road to take photographs or to trade along side the road.

Response from the KZN Traffic Inspectorate:

Good afternoon. I do not believe that the route you propose to use in South Africa and in particular through the Eastern Cape represents any special risks other than stray cattle at night. I have done this trip several times without incident. Your email will however be forwarded to the Eastern Cape Department of Transport who I am sure will respond to your concerns.

Response from the National Roads Agency

I agree that it is safe to drive.  I have also driven in these areas (as a woman, alone) on several occasions, and even into the more remote areas of the previous Transkei.   One must just use the normal caution in areas of high criminal activity.  Do not stop in isolated places and get out of the vehicle, especially if indicated to do so by people not in uniform, or if there are dead animals or rocks on the road.  Just drive around them.

98% of the people that you meet will be friendly and welcoming, and you will miss a whole lot of beautiful countryside if you fly rather than drive.

Keep to the main routes and take care of potholes and other engineering challenges.  You can find the road condition report on our web site www.nra.co.za to check whether there is construction going on while you are here.

Have a GREAT time visiting South Africa.  This is still the most beautiful country in the world, in my opinion, and I envy you seeing it for the first time.

This cooperation between various Road Safety Authorities is what is required to assist our foreign travelers. May we treat them with respect and more than just the usual smile – but go out of our way to assist them on the way!

Truck driver shot after collision with car

At approximately 3:07pm on Friday 01 February 2008, Netcare 911 responded to a report of a collision and shooting on the corners of Hawaii crescent and Antigua street in Cosmo City, Randburg.

Paramedics arrived to find that a construction truck had failed to stop at a stop street and subsequently collided with the passenger side of a family car. A mother and her two young children were injured in the collision. The woman’s husband is alleged to have produced a firearm and shot the driver of the truck in his left shoulder.

Netcare 911 paramedics attended to four patients at the scene, two adults and two children. Fortunately all the patients were in a stable condition and they were transported to the Baragwaneth hospital for further assessment and treatment.

The husband was apprehended by the SAPS and removed from the scene for questioning.

This incident was attended to by Netcare 911, Hunters Hill fire department and the SAPS.

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

NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911