It is important and wise for drivers to rest well before they embark on any kind of journey. When they feel tired or drowsy along the way they must stop and rest instead of guzzling energy drinks. Most accidents on our roads, particularly the minibusses and buses, are caused by fatigue.
It is that time of the year when many go on holiday. Thousands of vehicles are expected to be on the road heading in different directions across our borders and beyond.
This is a crucial period for all the motorists. They must ensure that they do not become part of the statistics when the government releases the figures of all the people who died on our roads at the start of next year.
As motorists, we need to obey the rules of the road all the time.
Driving at high speed might be an option for other drivers although it is a risk to their lives. It is important and wise for drivers to rest well before they embark on any kind of journey. When they feel tired or drowsy along the way they must stop and rest instead of guzzling energy drinks. Most accidents on our roads, particularly the minibusses and buses, are caused by fatigue. The drivers do not rest enough because they want to get their commission.
They must stop prioritising money over commuters. I’ve seen minibus taxis racing each other en route to the Eastern Cape, forgetting that they are transporting souls, not some cabbages. It is always painful to hear or read from the news that several members of a single family died in a car accident where two or more cars collided. Thinking of the families or relatives who are waiting for their loved ones on the other side of the country only to welcome their luggage and having to identify their bodies at mortuaries is certainly not pleasant.
We don’t want to hear or read such news this year. We’ve had enough. Enough is enough. Kwanele. We can pray as much as we want before we take our trips but if we are not disciplined on the road we won’t survive.
Whoever is going to take a long journey make sure that your car is roadworthy and is ready for the trip. We’ve seen buses of well-known companies stuck along the road.
And it seems the company owners are careless because these incidents occur every year. Companies are prioritising money instead of the safety of the commuters.
Trips that are supposed to take 12 hours, at times often take up to 72 hours due to breakdowns. This usually leads to commuters spending more time on the road, either waiting for another vehicle to pick them up or while their transport is being fixed. Transport owners must do the right thing and service their vehicles before they take a long journey.
We can’t keep on blaming evil spirits instead of facing reality.
Owners need to take responsibility for their vehicles and the traffic officers must have no mercy on culprits. Vehicle owners must also face the music instead of just punishing the drivers.