Traffic officials have warned drivers not to pressurise slower motorists into moving on to the shoulder of a road in order to pass them as more holidaymakers begin heading home this weekend.
Traffic officials have warned drivers not to pressurise slower motorists into moving on to the shoulder of a road in order to pass them as more holidaymakers begin heading home this weekend.
The Arrive Alive Information Centre said it has been receiving complaints about aggressive motorists and people driving on the shoulder of the road and endangering the lives of others.
“In terms of legislation, driving on the shoulder of the road – to the left of the yellow line – is prohibited, except in certain circumstances. You are only allowed to drive on the shoulder of a road with one lane of traffic in each direction.
“Driving on the shoulder of a dual carriageway is illegal. Also, you are only allowed to drive on the shoulder while you are being overtaken by another vehicle. When moving on to the shoulder of the road, you should not endanger yourself, other traffic or pedestrians. Moving over on to the shoulder at night or when you cannot see the road ahead clearly for a distance of at least 150 m is illegal,” said Ntau Letebele, director of road safety projects.
“We want to impress on drivers that moving over to the shoulder of the road to allow vehicles to pass is a voluntary act of courtesy. No one should pressurise drivers of slower moving vehicles in front of them to move on to the shoulder by flashing their lights, hooting or making other signals, he said.
With schools reopening next week in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Free State and North West, traffic volumes are expected to pick up in major routes this weekend.
According to the Arrive Alive Information Centre, the following routes recorded the highest number of accidents and fatalities during the December-January festive season: N3 KwaZulu-Natal between Escourt & Harrismith, fatal accidents 7, fatalities 14; N3 Free State between Harrismith & Warden, fatal accidents 5, fatalities 18; N2 Eastern Cape, fatal accidents 15, fatalities 18; R61 Eastern Cape, fatal accidents 11, fatalities 17; N1 Western Cape between Laingsburg & Leeuw-Gamka, fatal accidents 5, fatalities 15.
The death toll has increased to 1 299 this season, with 1 155 people dying in December and 144 in January.