Holiday travelling to KZN

WITH Christmas only seven days away, holiday makers are already making their way to KwaZulu-Natal, with heavy in-bound traffic volumes evident over the long weekend.

This was according to N3 Toll Concession spokesperson Con Roux, who said they expected traffic volumes into KZN to pick up further ahead of Christmas.

Roux said while it was relatively quiet on the road yesterday, Saturday had been busy with about 2 000 vehicles per hour coming into KZN, through the Mooi River Toll Plaza.

“We are expecting it to be more quiet this week. On Friday we are expecting things to pick up and larger volumes of traffic are also expected on Saturday as we head to Christmas,” he said.

Roux encouraged those making their way into the province to factor the travel time into their plans. He said taking breaks during the trip was especially important with the high temperatures being experienced.

ER24 paramedic Zita Mathios said while it was important for holiday makers to take care of themselves on their way to their holidays, they should also do so at their destinations.

She said many people underestimated the dangers of a backyard pool, the sea or mountain dam.

“In the peak of summer, we attend to a drowning-related call at least once a week. These emergencies are especially common among children under the age of four and often have poor outcomes,” she said.

Mathios said even young children, who have had swimming lessons, must be supervised.

She said snakes and other reptiles were also more active in warm weather.

Mathios added that a wide array of insects at this time of the year were attracted to blooming flowers and while some stings and bites were usually harmless, some cases were fatal.

“Anaphylaxis is an extreme reaction to a simple sting or bite which results in widespread swelling, hives, airway obstruction, distributive shock and, potentially, death. We get these call-outs often,” she said.