 |
| Spot the two trucks passing each in the middle lane. |
Wheels asked those in
the know what causes the most problems on the N3, South Africa’s busiest holiday
road.
Truckers’ pet hate
A few of the 6 600 truckers that pass the Mooi
River Plaza each day told Wheels they
can spot these holiday drivers in the far distance.
They are the drivers who are not going along with the traffic flow,
instead going too fast or too slow
for the situation, and often unable to cope with the different levels of difficulty on the N3.
for the situation, and often unable to cope with the different levels of difficulty on the N3.
Coming from the west, the trucks list the steep descends past Van
Reenen’s, thick mist past Mooi River and average speed cameras as the three
things amateur drivers seem unable to cope at the correct speed.
But KZN’s champion truck drivers, Moses Makhathini, Regi Naidoo and
Alfred Ngilo all agree that drivers who race past a slow moving truck, only to
brake hard in front of the truck, are the biggest pests on the road.
“Why try and be early for your death? Take it slow and enjoy the
beautiful scenery,” said Makhathini.
 |
| A typical scene from the N2, billed as South Africa's most dangerous highway. |
Drunk drivers feared most
Motorists polled by the Automobile Association
(AA) in a recent survey list drunk drivers, fast drivers and a lack of law
enforcers as their biggest safety concerns on SA’s roads during the festive
period.
The survey also found more than nine in 10 people feel unsafe while
travelling on South African roads during December.
Six in 10 of the respondents see drunk drivers as the biggest
problem on the country’s roads. Apart from speeding and a lack of law enforcers,
the survey found that motorists believe unlicensed drivers also pose a major
problem.
Asleep behind the wheel
 |
| This driver veered off the N3 at a straight section. |
Con Roux, commercial manager at the N3 Toll
Concessionaire (N3TC), however said the statistics point to drivers who fall
asleep behind the wheel as the biggest danger on the N3.
He said of the 915 crashes recorded between Heidelberg and Cedera
by the N3TC over the past 10 months since January, 76,7% of crashes occurred in
clear weather and over a third (381) involved passenger cars.
Of these 915 crashes, 224 crashes were vehicles rolling on a
straight road, and 203 were vehicles that just veered off the road. “This
suggests that fatigue and or inattention cause most of the accidents on the N3,”
Roux said.
Roux advised holiday drivers to rotate driving duties every couple
of hours. “Three hours’ driving is already too long. Stop every two hours and
make the journey a part of the holiday. Don’t try to break speed records.”
Rather stop and start, taking photos for next year's competition
during this festive season, he said. The competition can be entered on the N3TC
website.
Important numbers
Get the latest route updates to help you avoid
unexpected problems on your planned journey by following the N3TC on Twitter
@N3Route. Contact the 24-hour N3TC Customer Care Line on 0800 63 4357 for any
assistance, even fuel.
