{"id":175898,"date":"2018-03-30T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2018-03-30T04:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/?p=175898"},"modified":"2018-03-29T14:48:54","modified_gmt":"2018-03-29T12:48:54","slug":"top-tips-easter-road-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2018\/03\/30\/top-tips-easter-road-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Top tips for Easter road safety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With a staggering 51 per cent increase in 2016\/17 Easter road fatalities in South Africa, and many taking to the roads again at the end of March, Dialdirect has implored motorists to be vigilant.<\/p>\n<p>During the 2017 Easter holidays, 235 people died on South African roads, compared to the 2016 total of 156.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>The Northern Cape saw the steepest increase at 175 per cent, followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 111 per cent and Gauteng and the Western Cape at 58 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>All other provinces saw an increase of between 17 per cent and 50 per cent, with the Free State being the only province with a decrease of 27 per cent.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe true tragedy here is that the bulk of these deaths could have been avoided if motorists took road safety more seriously,\u201d said Warwick Scott-Rodger, executive head of Dialdirect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll too often, the price is higher than a damaged or written off vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/175765\/take-note-of-the-new-traffic-light-on-ag-de-witt-drive\/\" target=\"_blank\">Take note of the new traffic light on AG De Witt Drive<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/175668\/emergency-service-leaves-nothing-to-chance-this-easter\/\" target=\"_blank\">Emergency service leaves nothing to chance this Easter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dialdirect has put together a list of practical tips to assist you to drive safely in order to avoid becoming a statistic this Easter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0CHECKLIST:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Before you take to the road, be sure to check your vehicle\u2019s lights, windows and wipers, wheels and tyres, brakes, suspension, battery, belts and chains, cooling system, filters and fluids, safety and warning equipment and child car seats.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>GOOD DRIVING PRACTICE:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make sure that your load is within your vehicle\u2019s capabilities and that it is properly secured. Tie a red piece of cloth to the ends of any object that protrudes past your vehicle\u2019s edges. All trailers are required to have a safety chain, which helps in the event of tow bar failure.<\/li>\n<li>Plan your trip carefully and use the technology at your disposal to avoid problem areas.<\/li>\n<li>Always keep a safe, two to three second following distance.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t speed. According to the Dialdirect Insurance App, almost 30 per cent of motorists exceed 140 km\/h at least once every 10 trips. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.who.int\/violence_injury_prevention\/road_traffic\/3rd_mtg_appendix_d_group5_speed.pdf\">According to the World Health Organisation<\/a>, you could save your own or someone else\u2019s life with just a 10 km\/h decrease in speed. This small change reduces fatalities by almost 40 per cent.<\/li>\n<li>Stop at a red traffic light and stop sign, without fail. Don\u2019t overestimate your own luck, timing ability or observation skills.<\/li>\n<li>Obey the line. Even with lines permitting overtaking, always make double sure that it\u2019s safe to do so.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t drink and drive. SA\u2019s legal limit is a breath alcohol content of 0.24mg per 1000ml, or a blood alcohol limit of 0.05g per 100ml. As a rule of thumb, two drinks in one hour will put you over the limit. Bear in mind that you could still be over the limit the morning after. Alternate the alcoholic drinks you do have with soft drinks or water. If you\u2019ve been drinking, do not take a chance and rather call a taxi.<\/li>\n<li>Always look twice. Be especially mindful of motorcycles and vehicles without the necessary lights or indicators, or drivers who forgot to turn their indicators off.<\/li>\n<li>Focus. Avoid distractions like eating, drinking, minding kids or using your cellphone while driving.<\/li>\n<li>Choose the correct lane for the speed that you\u2019re traveling at.<\/li>\n<li>Think ahead by keeping a constant eye on the vehicles in front of you.<\/li>\n<li>Plan your turns, as well as your highway entrances and exits, well in advance to ensure that you get into the correct lane early enough.<\/li>\n<li>Bear other drivers in mind. They also need to plan for your vehicle\u2019s movements, so be sure to indicate clearly and timeously. With lane mergers, a \u2018zipper\u2019 structure should be followed.<\/li>\n<li>Always keep an eye out for pedestrians and switch your vehicle\u2019s headlights to the brightest setting wherever possible.<\/li>\n<li>Help your fellow road users. Report faulty traffic lights, damage to roads, obstructions and bad driver behaviour hotspots to the authorities<strong>.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>FATIGUE:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Motorists should get at least seven hours sleep before a long-distance trip, and avoid travelling during their body\u2019s downtime, which for most people is between 2am and 6am.<\/li>\n<li>Plan breaks into your trip and do not drive when you\u2019re tired. Avoid having sugary or fatty snacks, energy drinks and caffeine to keep you going. Drink lots of water, eat healthy foods and pull over to rest and refresh properly when you need to.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>BIKES AND HEAVY MOTOR VEHICLES:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Always \u201cthink bike\u201d and also keep a special lookout for heavy vehicles. If you\u2019re behind a truck and you can\u2019t see the mirrors, then the driver can\u2019t see you.<\/li>\n<li>A truck with a trailer needs two lanes to turn.<\/li>\n<li>Heavy vehicles need a long distance to stop, so avoid cutting in front of them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>IF YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN OR YOU\u2019RE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Switch on your hazard lights and, if possible and legal, pull into the emergency lane.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure that your vehicle remains visible \u2013 make use of your emergency triangle.<\/li>\n<li>If you get\u00a0stuck in a dangerous spot, get out of your vehicle when it is safe to do so and walk carefully to the side of the road. Ideally, you should remain in your car with the doors locked.<\/li>\n<li>Immediately call your insurer for assistance \u2013 technology like Dialdirect\u2019s Namola app, gets you connected to the assistance you need within a matter of seconds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cIt is up to each of us to take proactive action to reduce road deaths, but despite our best efforts, tragedy still does strike,\u201d Scott-Rodger said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is an absolute must to make sure that you are comprehensively insured so that you can be up and running again in no time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Have a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-admin\/germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za\">germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za <\/a><\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"mailto:leighh@caxton.co.za\">leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist)\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/germistoncitynews\/\">Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GCNnews\">Twitter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/germistoncitynews\/\">Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCblgxW6BRXTLGLQvpcumLqA\">YouTube\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Or add the GCN on<span class=\"apple-converted-space\"><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><strong>WhatsApp 079 406 1181<\/strong><span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0<strong>BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137)<\/strong><span class=\"apple-converted-space\"><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span>today, to get all the latest news.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/bedfordviewedenvalenews.co.za\/\">Bedfordview Edenvale News<\/a><\/strong>,<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/albertonrecord.co.za\/\">Alberton Record<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/kemptonexpress.co.za\/\">Kempton Express<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"stream-item stream-item-below-post-content\">\n<div class='tenancy_slot tenancy_slot_1 jannah_ad' style='display: none;' data-query-id='1c2bb5ab65f707669eec07fde282c1c6'><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With a staggering 51 per cent increase in 2016\/17 Easter road fatalities in South Africa, and many taking to the roads again at the end of March, Dialdirect has implored motorists to be vigilant. During the 2017 Easter holidays, 235 people died on South African roads, compared to the 2016 total of 156. The Northern &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":169214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hasGravity":false,"cxt_article_byline":"Germiston City News","cxt_disable_google_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news-headlines"],"amp_enabled":true,"category_labels":{"Category":"News","SubCategory":"Local news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}