Road Safety Week: Keeping yourself safe on South African roads
Road Safety Week is celebrated around the world from November 14th to November 20th. This is how you can protect yourself and others on the road.
The festive season is upon us, and it is usually around this time of the year that there are a lot of accidents on the road.
In 2021, South Africa recorded 1,685 fatalities on the road during the festive season.
Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula called on South Africans to be more vigilant on the road.
“We also called upon South Africans to observe and obey the rules of the road and behave in a manner that would save life and limb,” he said in a statement released earlier this year.
How to stay safe on the road:
Speed
Speed kills. It is reported that inappropriate speed is responsible for close to 30% of all fatal road crashes.
That is because it's harder to control a vehicle at higher speeds and this increases the likelihood of a crash.
When a car is speeding and hits a pedestrian, the impact will also be much greater and chances of injury or even death will be increased.
READ: New reduced speed limits on the cards for South Africa
Seatbelt and restrain compliance
Seat belts are important to avoid injury in the event of an accident.
It can also save your life by preventing you from being ejected during a crash.
Drunk driving
Driving while you are intoxicated puts not only your life at risk, but those around you.
Your concentration, perception, motor skills, and decision-making while driving will all be compromised if you are drunk.
Pedestrian safety
Obey the rules of the road.
Walk where you can be seen and if you are walking at night, wear reflective clothing or bright colours and carry a flashlight in places that have no streetlights.
It is best to walk on sidewalks and crosswalks.
Don't just cross anyway, but at intersections where motorists can see you.
Stay out of the driver's blind spot.
Image courtesy of iStock/ @gorodenkoff