Safely Home to Commemorate Western Cape Road Deaths

The Western Cape Government's Safely Home initiative, which is led by Robin Carlisle, Minister for Transport and Public Works, and has brought about a 23% reduction in road fatalities in the past two-and-a-half years, will be fielding participants in two upcoming sporting events.

Hector Eliott, Head of Ministry at Transport and Public Works, will be participating in the Three Peaks Challenge 2011 this Saturday, 5 November.

Eliott will join 119 other contestants for the 05:00 start at 108 Long Street, Cape Town. Before 19:00 on the same day they must have climbed Devil's Peak, Table Mountain and Lion's Head, each time returning to Long Street. The challenge finishes at Greenmarket Square.

"Approximately every three metres of the ± 50 km challenge represents a life lost on South Africa's roads each year," said Eliott.

"Safely Home plans to draw attention to the pain and suffering caused by every one of the more than 15 000 lives lost on our country's roads. A total of 1 406 people have been killed in the last 12 months in the Western Cape alone."

"Those killed in car crashes are far too often the innocents. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and were senselessly killed by a drunk or distracted driver or a speeder," Eliott said.

"Road safety is like a war, and every one of us is on one side or the other, whether we acknowledge it or not. By emphasising these numbers, our aim is that people will choose the side that slows down, does not drink and drive, does not use their cell phone while driving, buckles up and, whether a motorist or not, encourages others to do the same."

Meanwhile, the department will field a team of four in the upcoming Big Walk 80 km section. More details to follow closer to the day of the Big Walk.

The Three Peaks Challenge 2011 - Background

In 1897, Carl Wilhelm Schneeberger ascended Devil's Peak, Table Mountain (Maclear's Beacon, the highest point) and Lion's Head in one day, returning each time to what was then the Johannesburg Hotel in Long Street, Cape Town; he stopped for meals in between peaks and completed his challenge in a time of ten hours and 50 minutes. In 1927, Sandy Trimble decided to take on the challenge, completing the feat in 7:17. Fifty years later, in 1977, Geoff Pitter improved on Trimble's performance with a time of 6:51.

As an event, the "Three Peaks Challenge" was initiated by Don Hartley who, in 1997, decided to commemorate Schneeberger's 100-year-old achievement. Eleven of the 13 people who took on the inaugural challenge 14 years ago completed the event. The tradition continues...

(Taken from the Three Peaks Challenge Website)