Drunk driving‚ speeding‚ and a lack of law enforcers‚ are among the biggest safety concerns for drivers on South African roads over the festive period.
This was revealed in a recent survey conducted by the Automobile Association (AA) released on Tuesday.
The survey also shows only 8% of motorists feel safe on SA’s roads over the holiday season.
A full 62% of motorists regard drunk driving as the biggest problem on the country’s roads, according to the results‚ conducted in early December.
Motorists believe unlicensed drivers also pose a major problem, according to the poll.
"The results are indicative of what we have been saying for a long time: that the attitude of South African drivers is simply not good enough. Drunk driving‚ speeding or driving without proper licences are behaviours that can be changed but aren’t. Unless more is done to prevent these types of conduct‚ they will continue unabated‚" the AA said.
Results also show 60% of motorists said their safety depended on the attitude of other road users.
About 8% of motorists said they felt safe travelling on the country’s roads over the festive period‚ while 27 % said they did not feel safe as the roads they used needed upgrading or better maintenance.
"Another worrying element we found was that motorists say they drive an average of three hours before stopping to take a break. We would encourage all drivers to change this by stopping every two hours or 200km to refresh and relax," the AA said. "Being tired behind the wheel is extremely dangerous and stopping regularly ensures that you maintain focus for the whole journey."
The association said that being alert on the road was especially important as 66% of respondents who said they were going away indicated they would be travelling between 501km and 1‚500km over the festive period.
"Our country has a high road fatality rate over festive periods. To begin dealing effectively with this‚ motorists must obey the rules of the road‚ drive responsibly, and respect other road users.
"We urge all motorists to apply these principles for a safer‚ happier festive period on our roads in 2016‚" the AA said.
TMG Digital
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