Road Safety Fact

• Overloading negatively impacts on stopping distances
• Overloading also causes damage to roads and pose a danger to other motorists

Road Safety Hint

• Do not place your safety in danger by overloading your vehicle
• Do not cut in front of heavy that might be overloaded

Road Safety Fact

• Approximately 15 pedestrians are killed on our roads every day
• In 2004 Pedestrian related crashes cost in the order of R4,3bn

Road Safety Hint

• Do not walk on the road and when you have to walk next to road walk towards the oncoming flow of traffic
• Make sure that you are seen and be observant all of the time

Road Safety Fact

• Most hijackings take place in the driveways of residential areas
• Hijackers prefer areas with accessible escape routes

Road Safety Hint

• Be extra alert close to your home – switch of the car radio and concentrate on your surroundings
• Check your driveway and street [ ensure that they are well lit] before you enter or leave your premises

Road Safety Fact

• There were 188,320 licensed motorcycles in South Africa at the end of 2004
• Approximately 204 motorcycles were involved in fatal accidents in 2004

Road Safety Hint

• Always wear a helmet and never hang out in a truck’s blind spot or “No-Zone’
• Drive to survive – be extra cautious to the brake lights and signals of other vehicles

Road Safety Fact

• There were 245, 753 licensed minibuses at the end of 2004
• 516 passengers of minibuses died on the roads in 2004

Road Safety Hint

• Do not climb into a minibus that appears to be in a bad condition
• An overloaded minibus is very unsafe – Avoid being a passenger in such a minibus

Road Safety Fact

• 1332 trucks were involved in fatal accidents in 2004
• 70% of all truck –related car fatalities are initiated by car drivers
• 35% of them occur in the blind spot around trucks

Road Safety Hint

• Avoid the blind spots around a truck
• Be very cautious when passing a truck in bad weather
• Do not cut in front of trucks – they need more time and space to stop than cars

Road Safety Fact

• More than 90% of crashes are due to lawlessness
• Lawlessness include failure to obey traffic control, overloading, speeding, drunk driving etc.

Road Safety Hint

• Concentrate on your own safety by obeying the law –regardless of what others might do
• Register as a voluntary traffic observer and report bad driving
• Set a good example for your friends and family while driving

Road Safety Fact

• Road and environment factors such as no, poor or inadequate and damaged signs, poor maintenance, lack of fencing resulting in animals on the road contribute 5-10% of accidents
• Poor road marking is a contributory factor to head-on collisions

Road Safety Hint

• Use the speed limit as a guideline to the maximum speed
• Adjust your speed lower in bad weather conditions and where the conditions of the roads might be slippery and your vision might be impaired

Road Safety Fact

• In 2005 an international study found that South Africa has the highest prevalence of road rage
• Overcrowding of roads, high influx of daily commuters, inadequate road infra structure, increase in taxi/bus transport , increase in heavy duty vehicle volumes and personality factors could all contribute towards road rage

Road Safety Hint

• Keep your hands on the wheel and avoid making any gestures that might anger another driver
• Give angry drivers lots of room. If another driver tries to pick a fight, put as much distance between you as possible.