16/11/2022
NOTE for the festive season
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has warned drivers in South Africa that policing efforts are being ramped up on the country’s roads ahead of the festive season.
The group said that motorists who intend to travel for the festive season holidays need to start fixing their vehicles and ensure that they are fit to be on the roads, or risk having their cars impounded.
“Law enforcement operations are being stepped up on the roads, and officers have vowed to clamp down on unroadworthy vehicles as they contribute to road crashes and fatalities. No excuses will be accepted,” it said.
Campaigns have already kicked off on major routes and are expected to continue throughout the festive period.
Authorities are specifically looking at vehicles that have defects, as well as drivers who are over the alcohol limit.
According to the RTMC, specific defects are under the spotlight, as they have been identified as being core contributors to fatal crashes on the roads:
• Defective brakes;
• Burst tyres;
• Defective lights.
“Law enforcement officers will not hesitate to discontinue and even impound vehicles with the above defects, including cracked windscreens,” it said.
“The impoundment of a vehicle will cause great inconvenience to motorists as they will have to fix the vehicle at extra costs and have the vehicle taken for roadworthy tests before it is allowed on the road again. This will be in addition to traffic fines and impoundment fees.”
The group advised that motorists ensure these defects are dealt with to avoid having their trips interrupted by “foreseeable and preventable factors”.
With heavy rainfalls predicted for this period, the RTMC said that wipers will also be looked at to make sure they are in a perfect state as they affect visibility on rainy days.
Drunk driving
Regarding drunk driving, the RTMC said that this is also a major contributor to road fatalities in the country and warned that traffic officers are scaling up operations to clamp down on the act.
