After the announcement by our president that most of South Africa will be moving to Level 3 in terms of lockdown regulations by the end of May, a large proportion of our economic activity will resume and therefore, many road users and commuters will be returning to our national roads.<\/p>\n
MasterDrive has provided some fantastic advice during our national lockdown and has again weighed in with some helpful carpooling and ride-sharing advice to reduce congestion, save fuel, money and of course, practice safe driving habits.<\/p>
Managing director of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, says the main regulation is the reduction of the number of people in a car to three. “Other legal requirements include wearing masks and leaving after 5 am due to curfew. Another important regulation is to have a permit that allows you to travel to work.<\/p>\n
“Yet, even with these restrictions in place, travelling in a vehicle with people that you have not been in lockdown with still exposes you to a higher risk of contracting the virus. Consequently, each person should follow additional procedures to further reduce this risk.”<\/p>
MasterDrive has provided some tips on how to do this:<\/strong><\/p>\n -If you are able to, travel to work by yourself rather than carpool. The considerable decrease in the petrol price will also assist with this.<\/p>\n -If this is impossible, agree between yourselves to sanitise the car daily.<\/p>\n -Require passengers to complete a risk questionnaire daily. If any person starts to show symptoms or displays high risk, arrange for them to see a doctor.<\/p>\n -If there are only two people in the car, the passenger should sit in the back and not in the passenger seat.<\/p>\n -Keep sanitiser in the car for the driver and passengers.<\/p>\n -Request all passengers to put their belongings in the boot.<\/p>\n -Ensure proper ventilation in the vehicle by keeping the windows open.<\/p>\n Here are some tips provided for ride-sharing apps such as Uber <\/strong><\/p>\n -If you transport a client that does not declare their risk or does not follow the recommended guidelines, you are within your rights to refuse service.<\/p>\n -These drivers should monitor their own health as well and if you display symptoms, see a doctor before resuming work.<\/p>\n -Place signage in your vehicles requesting passengers to follow the correct hygiene etiquette.<\/p>\n