With the final weekend before Christmas and an expected increase in long distance travellers, the City’s Traffic Service is going all out to ensure everyone’s safety.

The City’s vehicle examiners are on standby to help long distance operators ensure that their vehicles are fit to hit the road as the Christmas holiday rush gets underway.

Since the beginning of Operation Exodus on Friday 13 December 2019, examiners have put 1 087 vehicles through their paces.

Buses accounted for 70% of vehicles checked

55% of all vehicles tested were deemed compliant

Thus far, approximately a quarter of vehicles tested for a second time have been deemed compliant

Vehicle examiners check a number of things, including tyres, brakes, wiper blades, the undercarriage and whether the vehicle is properly licensed.

‘I want to thank those bus operators who have had their vehicles checked. Because of their carrying capacity, the number of lives that depend on a safe ride increases exponentially. We would like to see more midi and minibus drivers make use of the tests, because for many people, these vehicles are a preferred mode of transport.

‘However, it is not just about submitting to the vehicle test, but also correcting any defects that are identified before hitting the road. I remind drivers that, should anything happen on their journeys and it becomes apparent that they were aware of defects but failed to act, they could face significant criminal consequences,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

To allow for checking of vehicles where the owners do not participate in the free vehicle checks, the City’s Traffic Service is conducting vehicle checkpoints in the vicinity of public transport interchanges.

In the last week, 19 374 offences have been recorded at these checkpoints including speeding, driver fitness, vehicle fitness, no safety belts, tyres and other vehicle defects, as well as overloaded vehicles.

‘These checks provide an additional safety layer, along with checkpoints conducted by provincial traffic authorities on the major routes leading out of the Western Cape. And, as much as there is an obligation on vehicle owners to ensure that they do right by their passengers, we also appeal to passengers to do their bit by ensuring their driver takes regular breaks, sticks to the speed limit and drives in a manner that is considerate to other road users. The endgame is pretty simple � we want to get everyone to their holiday destinations and back in one piece, but it is a shared responsibility,’ added Alderman Smith.

Source: City Of Cape Town