Road safety shouldn’t be an Easter affair

It is a sad feature of the Easter holidays that every year, a large number of South Africans perish needlessly on our roads.

Each year, authorities talk tough, even if they say the same things: zero tolerance for drunk driving, increased car roadworthiness spot checks, more traffic police and the strategic placement of aeromedical and advanced life support teams on our roads to rein in wayward conduct and save lives. Yet the carnage persists.

Even if the number of those killed on our roads this Easter is reduced, as was the case last year, from 253 the previous year to 162, the victory is ephemeral because the measures put in place are transient, focused on a particular weekend instead of being a round-the-year undertaking. In the long run, we revert to type. Our vehicles become weapons against fellow humans, if not ourselves.

While the Zion Christian Church in Moria, Limpopo, which ordinarily attracts thousands, has not fully resumed activities after the end of Covid restrictions, Durban, the other drawcard at this time, is expecting an influx of millions of holidaymakers. This will put pressure on the main roads leading into KwaZulu-Natal.

Road safety is a shared responsibility between the authorities and road users. Some, with courage fuelled by alcohol, wilfully ignore the rules of the road, jeopardising the lives of others and their own. The deployment of traffic police will not succeed in stemming the carnage if drivers choose to behave recklessly and disregard the rules.

Last year, 77% of light motor vehicle crashes on the N3 were caused by human error, compared with 73% in 2021. This suggests increased negligence.

The Easter holidays should afford us an opportunity to take our minds off work and the mundane routines of life, to enjoy a much-needed rest or spend time with friends and family. This Easter, we repeat the call to those travelling to do so with care and responsibility.