Cape Argus E-dition

R188bn: The cost of road crashes

WENDY JASSON DA COSTA wendy.jdc@inl.co.za

DON’T become another traffic fatality.

It’s traditionally a time for family gatherings, holidays and road trips, but traffic authorities have called for care while driving, saying crashes cost the country billions every year.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said there were 10 611 crashes across the country in 2021, resulting in 5 544 deaths. The cost to the country’s economy was R188 billion.

The corporation’s spokesperson, Simon Zwane, said: “To attend each crash where there was a fatality cost the government R7.1 million in 2021.”

Zwane said every crash in which someone died was costly because of the need for ambulances, tow trucks, road closures, traffic control, time needed to clean and clear the road, mortuary costs, absenteeism from work and late arrivals because of the accidents. He said it was essential that authorities maintain a high level of visibility on the road to reduce the number of incidents.

KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape were the provinces with the highest number of crashes and fatalities, said Zwane.

The build-up in traffic volumes usually starts on December 15, then peaks again on December 23 and 24.

“People have been staggering their travel times in recent years. On the long weekend of December 16, we usually see a high number of crashes in built up-areas ... where people are having festivities,” Zwane said.

The SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) and the provincial government were working hard to ensure traffic on the N3 to the coast ran smoothly this festive season, said Thabiso Dladla, Sanral’s eastern region project manager.

Sanral, National Traffic Police under RTMC, RTI and other provincial and local road authorities are working together, with many joint operations involving all spheres of government.

Gavin Kelly, chief executive of the Road Freight Association, said road freight operators tried to ensure their “peak loads for the festive period” were all delivered before the traditional holiday season and that there would be “less” freight or delivery vehicles on the roads.

Kelly said there would be increased traffic on the major routes to holiday destinations, which would bring frustrations and delays. Among them were road works on the Southern Corridor to the most popular destinations.

“There will be many vehicles on the major routes as exports and imports continue. There will be delays.”

Kelly advised motorists to take their time. “Plan trips with alternatives for stops and places where rest stops can be taken. There will probably be less traffic because of the financial situation many South Africans find themselves in – but then there will still be enough traffic on the major routes.”

Zwane said most crashes happened when people had already reached or neared their destination, and the most dangerous times to be driving were from midnight to 5am, and 9pm to midnight.

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2022-12-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

http://capeargus.pressreader.com/article/281513640177893

African News Agency