We owe it to each other to take care on the roads over the holidays

Our country boasts beautiful beaches, calming canyons, spectacular mountains and wonderful wildlife that invite tourists, local and foreign, to travel, particularly during the festive period. Many others travel to spend time with family or simply to unwind at the end of a year of being pummelled by skyrocketing interest rates, load-shedding and other factors that have become the bane of South African life.

Whatever the reason, the festive period sees heavy traffic on our highways, joining the freight trucks already packing the roads due to operational failures at Transnet and the ports. Last year, 1,451 people perished on our roads during the festive period. As their families pause to remember and celebrate their lives, our reality is that many others will sadly lose theirs during the holidays.

Traffic authorities attribute the high fatality rates on our roads to fatigue, impatience and reckless driving. In other words, our attitudes on the roads kill us. Fortunately, there is much that can be done about these factors. And because we all know there is increased pressure on the roads, with trucks now constituting about 40% of traffic on the N3 to Durban, we have a duty to ourselves, our families and other road users to ensure that we don’t become part of the accident statistics.

Arrive Alive is not a mere government slogan, it is a programme we must all embrace as we try to save lives on our roads.

Human error should be minimised. Another important factor we can control relates to the payment of bribes to crooked officers who choose to turn a blind eye to cars that should not be on the road or drivers who go on to kill others because they are drunk or have no licences. Is it too much to ask for an end to this corruption pandemic?

It’s true that the government has been promising to put an end to the scourge, but not much has come of that. It is also true that there is not much motorists can do about the state of our roads. While the national highways are regularly maintained, many of the provincial and local routes that constitute the last mile for fatigued travellers are in varying degrees of disrepair.

That is in part due to other forms of corruption and government ineptitude.

Indeed, there is much we can and should blame our government for. Yet road safety is a negotiation of rights and responsibilities. What all of us can do to minimise harm ought to be done. Trite though it may seem, there is value in adequately preparing for your travel by avoiding, to any possible extent, driving at night and checking weather updates. It is also important to check your vehicle’s tyres, brakes and lights and to avoid speeding.

Authorities have for years recommended taking intermittent rests on long journeys and avoiding cellphones and other distractions. These measures seem small and mundane. But scientific evidence suggests many lives could be saved through small, simple acts such as buckling up.

It’s not important how quickly you get to your destination. It is crucial that you arrive alive. It’s saddening that we know in advance that many will not. We have a responsibility to each other to ensure families are not robbed of breadwinners and loved ones because of our negligence.

Whether you’re armed with a bonus in a new car, or you’re off to the warm beaches of KwaZulu-Natal, or couldn’t resist the allure of Table Mountain, or are simply going to visit your family, please exercise mindfulness and patience on our shared roads.

It’s not important how quickly you get to your destination. It is crucial that you arrive alive