Pretoria – Motorists have been urged to exercise caution on the roads over the Easter weekend.
"Last week, we launched our Easter long weekend campaign in Kimberly, urging every citizen to take personal responsibility for what happens on the road.
“As government, we will continue to enforce the rules of the road without exception. Please play your part," said Transport Minister Dipuo Peters on Thursday.
She said motorists must be vigilant at all times, as many people go on long-distance journeys to various destinations.
Traffic volumes on the country's major routes are expected to rise and therefore increase the possibility of road traffic crashes.
Traffic law enforcement officers will be on all the major routes including the N1, N2, N3 and N4, among others. There will be increased visibility of marked traffic police vehicles.
Traffic officers will be working with SAPS in manning joint road blocks to ensure that only roadworthy vehicles and legally licensed drivers are using the roads.
"I have instructed traffic police to spare no effort in ridding our roads of people who pose a danger to other road users. This includes people driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, people driving at break-neck speeds, unlicensed or fraudulently licensed drivers, unroadworthy and overloaded vehicles, etc.
“Traffic police have also been instructed to stop every public transport vehicle and they must show no reluctance in discontinuing vehicles that do not meet the necessary safety standards," said Minister Peters.
There will be a specialised traffic police outfit named "The N1 Traffic Brigade" in Limpopo. It will monitor traffic flow on the N1 from Pretoria to Beitbridge on the border of Zimbabwe.
The approximately 460-km long route experiences high traffic volumes, particularly buses ferrying people to Zion City Moria outside Polokwane for the annual Easter pilgrimage. The route is also used by buses and minibus taxis transporting people from Gauteng to Zimbabwe.
Minister Peters called on public transport vehicle owners not to use unroadworthy vehicles. She said fleet owners will be held liable when their unroadworthy vehicles are intercepted on the roads or are involved in crashes.
She also appealed to passengers to be patient with law enforcement operations. She urged pedestrians not to drink and walk, only walk in designated pedestrian areas. At least 40% of road fatalities involve pedestrians. – SAnews.gov.za
