In light of the recent accidents on the N1 that involved trucks, Bloemfontein Courant reached out to emergency responders, VR Med, to find out how truck drivers and motorists can work together when it comes to road safety.
VR Med Base manager, Krystal Kruger, said because trucks are so big, people in cars often become impatient and try to take chances when sharing the road, forgetting that these trucks are loaded and can’t stop like a normal vehicle. She said one of their challenges as first responders is that motorists, including truck drivers, don’t adhere to the rules of the road.
“This is second to multiple bystanders encroaching on an active scene, impeding their safety as well as emergency responders’,” she expressed. Kruger highlighted that patience on the road could be the difference between life and death.
“Although it is very frustrating when one is interrupted mid-journey because of an accident or incident on the road, the best practice is PATIENCE. Emergency responders also want to prevent delays and clear the scene quickly because it is dangerous for them too on the road. A secondary accident will delay motorists even longer. Being patient and listening to officials directing the scene will ensure that it remains safe for ALL road users, and minimise any unplanned delay of travellers,” she advised.
She added that it is vital to obey the rules of the road and to rest when you start feeling tired – especially when travelling long distances.
The Free State MEC of Community Safety, Roads and Transport, Jabu Mbalula, who was present at one of the accident scenes that involved trucks and one light motor vehicle, reiterated this sentiment by encouraging motorists to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy.
“We will be working [as a department] with our traffic components to look at how we can increase visibility on our roads,” he said. He suggested that stakeholders like SANRAL and the Road Traffic Management Corporation should work hand-in-hand to make the roads safer.
“We don’t know what the reason for that accident was but need to come together to look at what we can do as a collective so that things like this can be avoided,” he concluded.
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