The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) will be actively engaging road users at various rest and service stations across the country as part of its WHOA! road safety campaign.
THE SOUTH African National Roads Agency (Sanral) will be encouraging drivers to take regular breaks during long-distance travel and discouraging drinking and driving as part of its WHOA! road safety campaign.
Sanral’s general manager of communications and marketing, Vusi Mona, said fatigue and drunken driving continue to be major contributing factors to crashes on our roads every year.
Among the activities offered during the WHOA! Roadside Activations are head and shoulder massages for drivers and a flavoured oxygen bar, both of which aid in tension relief.
Mona said that while Sanral’s core mandate is to engineer safer road infrastructure, the agency realised that roads are built first for people and then for vehicles.
“As such, it is important for us to engage these stakeholders about our collective responsibility to create safer road environments for all road users,” he said.
Mona said the activation also targeted pedestrians, with promoters handing out reflective armbands that aid in pedestrian visibility, particularly at night.
“We appreciate the efforts of law enforcement agencies across the country who have increased their visibility to influence road user behaviour and create an environment that is conducive towards compliance.
“We continue to appeal to road users to be patient, courteous and compliant during this festive season. Safer roads are created by safety-conscious road users,” he said.
Mona noted that the N3 between Gauteng and KZN is a particularly busy road with thousands of holidaymakers heading to the beach.
A road safety activation was set up at Vaal Engen 1-Stop on the N3 outside Villiers on the Day of Reconciliation, December 16.
Benginkosi Mdlalose, 60, a taxi driver operating between Johannesburg and Newcastle, welcomed Sanral’s intervention.
“I am very pleased with the condition of the N3, and I am happy about how Sanral maintains the road,” he said.
After getting a massage and trying out the oxygen bar, Mdlalose said the peppermint flavoured oxygen was soothing and cleared his nasal passages.
“What a great way to relax before tackling the rest of my journey. Thank you Sanral for caring about our safety on the road,” he said.
In Graaff Reinet, a similar activation was set up at the Caltex Fresh Stop, where scores of holidaymakers passed by and stopped for a break.
Masibulele Tafeni, from Graaff-Reinet, said: ‘’The Sanral road safety message is a good initiative to keep people safe on the road.”
Still in the Eastern Cape, the WHOA! team visited Port Alfred on Sunday morning at the Caltex Fresh Stop.
“Curious passers-by stopped at the Sanral zone. From taxi passengers to drivers, they were alive to Sanral’s road safety message and applauded the activation, some even saying there should be more such activations all year round,” said Sanral.
