With the traffic congestion expected to swell this week ahead of the public holiday, the Road Traffic Management Corporation has urged motorists to take extra precautions on the roads amid different weather conditions across the country.
Thousands of holidaymakers are expected to travel to various parts of the country for the festive season.
Several highways, including the N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), have seen a surge in traffic from Johannesburg to KZN as people head to the Durban coastline.
Warning
RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane called on motorists to exercise extreme caution when driving in inclement weather conditions.
“This comes as the heavy rainfalls have been experienced in many parts of the country. Motorists are advised to delay their trips when they encounter heavy rainfalls and desist from crossing flooded bridges.
“Traffic officers will be deployed along the routes that are likely to be affected by severe weather patterns and motorists are urged to cooperate with them and obey their instructions,” Zwane said.
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Traffic volumes
Zwane said the number of cars on the country’s roads has begun to swell.
“Traffic volumes have increased on many routes as travellers will be heading to different destinations to spend the festive season long with families, relatives and friends.
“The RTMC reiterates its call for caution, patience and respect for the rules of the roads. Pedestrians are warned to stay away from busy roads and only use pedestrian bridges to cross.” Zwane said.
Zwane said traffic officers together with members of the South African Police Service (Saps) have been deployed on all busy routes to ensure free flow of traffic and to deal with those who break the rules of the road.
Accident trend
With vehicle volumes expected to increase dramatically on the N3 Toll, last week, the N3TC said there’s a concerning trend: single-vehicle accidents are dominant on the busy route between Gauteng and KZN.
“During the previous summer holiday season (Dec 2024), single-vehicle crashes accounted for 53.5% of all crashes on the N3 Toll Route, while 60.4% of crashes recorded between January and November this year involved one vehicle only,” said Thania Dhoogra, chief operating officer of N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), which manages the N3 between Cedara in KZN and Heidelberg in Gauteng.
Dhoogra said these crashes are often the result of speeding, fatigue, or distractions — these human factors and driver errors become more common during holiday periods when traffic volumes increase.
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