Vehicle Testing Stations Join Safely Home Campaign to Provide Free Vehicle Safety Checks

The Western Cape Retail Motor Industry (RMI) has joined forces with the Safely Home campaign to provide motorists in the province with free vehicle safety checks for the festive season. Participating members of the National Vehicle Testing Stations Association will provide the free vehicle safety checks from Monday, 22 November to Friday, 04 December 2010.

Minister Robin Carlisle has urged all motorists in the Western Cape to take full advantage of the Free Safety Checks provided by volunteering vehicle testing stations. There are approximately twenty (20) vehicle testing stations that will provide the free safety checks for the next thirteen (13) days. I encourage every motorist in the province to take their vehicle to the nearest participating vehicle testing station for a free safety check. Safer vehicles are an important element in making our roads safe and given the generous offer of free safety checks, motorists' heavens help any motorists found with a defective vehicle.

Minister Carlisle highlighted that partnership between the private sector and government are key to making our roads safe. The government, on its own, cannot win the war against the carnage on our roads without the support of the private sector, non-governmental organisations and the public. It is partnerships like this that will help us prevent avoidable road accidents and fatalities. We can save a lot of lives on roads if we all take responsibility for road safety and Im pleased that the vehicle testing stations industry is taking its responsibility seriously with the provision of these free vehicle safety checks. I challenge other vehicle testing stations that have not yet signed up to this initiative to join our partnership to ensure that everybody gets Safely Home.

The Free Safety Check is not a roadworthy test but an exercise that identifies and checks the important basics of a vehicle such as:

• All lights including indicators
Seat belts
• Windscreen wipers
• Front and rear tyres
• Brakes front and rear, including the parking brake
• Steering mechanisms including control arms, steering boxes and tie rod ends
• Front and rear suspension
• Exhaust system
• Wheel alignment

For more information on the Free Safety Checks please contact the RMI on 021 939 9440.

Below are some of the participating vehicle testing stations:

• AVTS Strand, 2 Calvin Street, Strand.
• AVTS Kenilworth, 422 Lansdowne Road, Lansdowne.
• AVTS Wingfield, Olympic Park, Voortrekker and Duminy Street, Bellville.
• AVTS Airport, Boston Circle, Airport Industria.
• AVTS Tableview, 139 Blaauwberg Road, Tableview.
• Lansdowne Vehicle Testing Station, Unit 21 Lansdowne Junction, C/o
• Blomvlei and Jan Smuts Road, Lansdowne.
• Formula One Roadworthy, 41 Induland Crescent, Lansdowne.
• Epping Roadworthy Centre, Gunners Park, Cnr Gunners Circle and Glenvilla Avenue, Epping.
• Mitchells Plain Vehicle Test, C/o Bravo Street and 12th Avenue, Mitchells Plain Industria.
• Retreat Roadworthy Centre, 5 Keyser Road Retreat.
• Athlone Vehicle Test Centre, C/o Klipfontein and Orion Road, Surrey Estate.
• Diep River Roadworthy Centre, 127 Main Road Diep River.