Festive Season Vehicle Fitness Checks

Starting from 11 December 2015, traffic law enforcement officers of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works will be conducting vehicle fitness checks between 18:00 and 02:00 at Sonstraal near the Huguenot Tunnel and at Joostenberg Vlakte weighbridge.

These roadside checks mainly target long-distance buses and minibus taxis.

This forms part of the Department’s public transport compliance and fatigue management sticker project, which runs at least twice a year (during Easter and the December-January holiday season).

Drivers of vehicles that have been tested and found to be in good order will be given a sticker to display on their windscreens to verify their vehicle’s fitness at the time the check was performed. This will facilitate the work of traffic officers doing routine vehicle checks en route. The City of Cape Town is offering general safety checks on private and public transport vehicles at its various roadworthy centres until 18 December 2015.

Traffic law enforcement officers will be on duty along Western Cape roads to help ensure that drivers do not overload their vehicles, speed, drink and drive, or drive when they are tired. During this time, the Department of Transport and Public Works' Road Safety Management component will be distributing road safety awareness pamphlets and disposable alcohol breath testers.

Provincial Traffic Chief Kenny Africa has emphasised that there will be a zero tolerance approach to enforcing applicable laws and regulations.

“Vehicles will be thoroughly checked by traffic officers. We won’t hesitate to stop vehicles from proceeding and even arrest wrongdoers when necessary. Our Average Speed Over Distance (ASOD) law enforcement equipment on major routes can alert officers to possibly unlicensed, unroadworthy vehicles, stolen vehicles, and speed violations. This will enable traffic officers to take action against offenders immediately. The ASOD system makes it possible to determine how many times a particular vehicle passes a particular point, so we can monitor possible driver fatigue and pull vehicles over, if necessary,” he said.

The Department’s fatigue management operations on provincial borders will also be in full swing. We urge motorists to plan long journeys in advance to include regular stops at particular places along the way as well as to take a 10-minute break outside their vehicles every two hours. There is no rule to say how far you should drive before having to take a break, but it is not worth risking a crash, for any reason.

Our commitment is to help road users and commuters travel safely to their destinations during the busy period in December and January.

Follow Safely Home on Twitter @WCGovSafelyHome under the hash-tag #BoozeFreeRoads

View information sheet: If you are tired, stop and rest

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