The Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa, embarked on the Road Safety Campaign in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape on Sunday, April 13.
The minister said this campaign is a collaborative effort to bring together multiple road safety stakeholders to enhance law enforcement visibility, deter traffic violations, and ensure road fatalities are minimised during the Easter weekend and beyond.
“We have come here to the Eastern Cape because this particular area, together with Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, the Western Cape and also Limpopo are areas that account for more than 76 % of road accidents and also road death,” said Creecy.
The minister stated in a live stream on Facebook that most serious accidents and fatalities occur on Friday and Saturday nights, and the department will ensure that there is increased police visibility, particularly late at night and in the early hours of the morning when recklessness and driver misbehaviour are most prevalent.
Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Deputy Minister Hlengwa told the media that drinking and driving remain a major concern, particularly between 7pm and 1am. He said drinking and driving pose a significant risk, especially around those hours when drivers are often tired or still recovering from parties. He added that pedestrians walking in unauthorised areas at night also disrupt traffic flow and increase the risk of road accidents.
Creecy revealed in an interview with SABC News that they stopped over 80,000 vehicles during the operation and arrested more than 250 people who were driving over the legal limit.
"Almost every vehicle we pulled off the road, there was something wrong. In one instance, somebody did not have a driving licence, in another instance the registration of the car was not valid," said Creecy.
She said 80% of all accidents in the country are caused by human error and this includes speeding, drinking under the influence of alcohol, texting while driving.
“There are also the other things which are a contributing factor such as the usage of cellphones behind the steering wheel, particularly for content creation, which is a behaviour done by both the drivers and the passenger who interrupts the driver wanting to take pictures for vacation and all sorts of other things.
"t might be cute, yes fine, but that five-second interruption behind the steering wheel because of the use of a cellphone impacts negatively on your response time to the ecosystem, so the usage of cellphones is itself very very problematic,” said Hlengwa.
Hlengwa called for cooperation among road users, drivers, and law enforcement to ensure safety on the roads. He stated that motorists must ensure their vehicles are roadworthy before driving.
The Eastern Cape MEC for Transport, Xolile Nqatha, revealed that more than 200 people died as a result of human behaviour during last year's Easter period. Nqatha said they appreciated the minister’s efforts to ensure safety in the province.
Creecy said they are ready for the Easter holidays, and they have operational centres across the country and collaborated with law enforcement agencies to arrange operations to monitor traffic flows to ensure safety on the roads.
Creecy further urged long-distance travellers to follow the rules of the road at all times and avoid nighttime driving and speeding.