Pretoria - The Department of Transport and its entities will be on high alert during the festive season to protect and serve all road users.
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters on Tuesday said her department has already commenced with its road safety activations, which will last up until January 2017.
“I am appealing to all South Africans to note that those who drink and drive, speed, are negligent and transgress the National Traffic Act and Traffic Regulations will be punished.
“Let us respect each other on the road and be responsible road users. Remember the roads are a shared space,” the Minister said in her festive season message.
The festive period is generally characterised by high traffic volumes in different routes of South Africa, with fatalities over this time remaining unacceptably high.
Apart from the national industry shutdown and school holidays, the period is also characterised by religious pilgrimages and mass events. The risk is higher this year because of the Christmas break from the 23rd to 27th December, including the New Year’s Eve weekend.
“This season calls upon all of us to be alert and circumspect when we use our roads, for road deaths and injuries are sudden, violent, traumatic with an impact which is long-lasting and often permanent.
“Let us use the festive season to reaffirm our commitment to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, which seeks to stabilise and reduce road fatalities by 50% in 2020. Let us be more considerate in word and in deed,” Minister Peters said.
She encouraged South Africans to wear their seatbelts, not to text while driving and not to speed.
“Let us also take time to pay tribute to our traffic law enforcement officers, the South African Police Service (SAPS), South African National Defence Force (SANDF), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and health practitioners who will be working to give of their time to ensure that our laws are implemented and offer their services that people on our roads are safe, secure and comfortable,” Minister Peters said. –SAnews.gov.za
