Pretoria - Thousands have started heading out of the metro to their holiday destinations – and those travelling by road will do well to note the most accident-ridden roads in the country.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) revealed the roads it deemed to be the accident hot spots in various provinces.
Moloto Road, which links Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng, is first on the list. The road has been a scene of many horrific crashes over the years.
For two years, a group called Moloto Corridor Concerned Residents has been putting pressure on government to deliver on a promise for a rail service on this route.
The N1 near Mokopane and Mookgophong in Limpopo is another busy, dangerous road.
In May, six people died in a horror crash on the N1 South between Mokopane and Mookgophong in a collision involving a Hyundai sedan and a Quantum taxi. The sedan caught fire and the road had to be partially closed.
Another hot spot is the N2 near Pongola in KwaZulu-Natal. In September, a horror crash on this road claimed the lives of 19 children and two adults who were travelling in a bakkie which was in a collision with a truck.
Also listed as hot spots are the R71 Mankweng in Limpopo, N2 near Idutywa, N2 near Mount Ayliff and R61 near Mbizana in the Eastern Cape, R30 between Stilfontein and Ventersdorp in the North West, R61 near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, R61 near Mzamba in the Eastern Cape, N1 near Musina in Limpopo and N2 near Mount Frere in Eastern Cape.
Other roads on the list are the N4 near Middelburg in Mpumalanga, N1 near Laingsburg in the Western Cape, N2 near Port Shepstone in KZN, N1 near Makhado in Limpopo, N2 near Libode in the Eastern Cape, R61 near Libode, also in Eastern Cape, N4 near Mbombela, France van Zyl Drive near Parow in Western Cape, N3 near Harrismith in Free State, M35 near Folweni in KZN and N2 near Mthatha in Eastern Cape.
The RTMC urged motorists to be extra vigilant, especially between 4pm and 11pm, as most accidents occurred at this time.
On Thursday, traffic volumes had increased as people began to make their way to their holiday destinations.
Limpopo is one of the provinces that sees an influx of cars during the this holiday period, as people travel to the province while others transit to neighbouring countries.
Long-distance taxi ranks and bus stations, including Bosman Street in Pretoria, also started seeing an increase in foot traffic and luggage.
These included small to large items such as beds, stoves, washing machines, wardrobes and groceries. Most of the people travelling with large items and groceries in public transport were foreign nationals going to neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Elvis Chirwa and Catherine Kakwa said although they would be stopped at the toll plazas and their luggage inspected, it was worth it because so many things were cheaper and easier to find in South Africa than at home in Zimbabwe.
They had braced themselves for a two-day bus journey that could potentially be longer, depending on traffic and accidents.
Yesterday morning, a traveller was killed in a motor vehicle collision on the N1 north in Limpopo, near Ingwe Hotel in the Vhembe District.
“A light-delivery vehicle is reported to have lost control and collided head-on with a truck. One person has sadly died, and two sustained slight injuries,” said Tidimalo Chuene, spokesperson for the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety.
“The accident has caused traffic congestion, with vehicles moving very slowly between Makhado and Hendrik Verwoerd tunnel,” she said.
Chuene said that officers have been deployed on roads 24/7 until the end of the festive period.
The department has also heightened visibility through roadblocks and speed operations in all five districts and local municipal roads in the province.
“Since the operation started on December 1, 145 737 vehicles were stopped and searched, 6 645 drivers tested for alcohol, 1 612 drivers were charged for speeding, 781 were charged for overloading, 841 charged for vehicles with defects and 61 vehicles were impounded,” she said.
On Thursday, from 10am until 1pm, traffic from Kranskop to Polokwane increased rapidly.
“There’s a traffic flow starting from Beitbridge border post, Musina, up to Baobab toll gate along the N1 road. There is a slight increase in terms of traffic volume, but everything is under control. Traffic officers are deployed according to the different critical points to ensure that there is free flow of traffic,” Chuene said.
The N3 highway between Johannesburg and Durban also started to experience high traffic volumes.
Pretoria News