High traffic volumes in all directions are expected over the New Year weekend and the North West Department of Traffic Management has issued a stern warning to motorists not to break road rules or there will be dire consequences.
The Department of Community Safety and Transport Management spokesperson, Alpheus Koonyaditse, said they are expecting heavy traffic from the province’s ports of entry.
“We are expecting the traffic volume to go up at all the two main ports of entry in the North West, namely the Ramatlabama and the Skilards Herk ports of entry.
“As we can see, it’s raining in most parts of the province. We are appealing to everyone traveling to be cautious and not speed.
“When it rains the roads become slippery and therefore if you speed it may lead to an accident,” Koonyaditse said, adding that all road users, including pedestrians, must obey the rules of the road.
“We are also appealing to ordinary people, especially now that we see a growing trend of pedestrians being hit by vehicles. So people should avoid walking at night.
“And most of these people who have been hit by vehicles appear to have not been sober at the time of the incidents. We also notice a trend of accidents that occur at night between 12 midnight and 6 am in the morning.
“However, the number of registered road fatalities is low when compared to this time last year. Last year around this time we had already registered 77 fatalities, while this year we have 63 fatalities on record.
We hope the fatalities will remain low and that people are safe as we usher into the New Year,” he said.
