22 Sep 2014

Head of traffic division at Letlhakeng police station, Inspector Lawrence Nkwe has encouraged government drivers to lead by example in as far as road safety and caring of vehicles in concerned.

Speaking at the Letlhakeng sub district road safety committee workshop in Letlhakeng recently, Inspector Nkwe said because all government vehicle drivers had been drilled thoroughly in aspects such as defensive driving, it would be a shame if they were to be involved in accidents as drivers of private motor vehicles.

Giving an overview of road accidents involving government vehicles in Kweneng, Insp. Nkwe said last year they registered a total of 56 road accidents in the whole of Kweneng area, which covers Molepolole, Thamaga, Letlhakeng, Sojwe and Takatokwane policing areas.

He said out of these, 39 were minor, 12 serious while five were fatal. He said this year they have already registered a total of 22 accidents with 20 of them being minor while two were fatal.

Insp. Nkwe said they have noted that most of the road accidents are caused by over speeding and fatigue, and therefore urged drivers to take time to rest rather than working long hours because they want overtime pay.

Insp. Nkwe also advised the drivers to leave well in time when they have trips as he said leaving late causes them to drive at high speed with the aim of beating time.

In his welcome remarks, the Assistant District Commissioner for Letlhakeng sub district, Mr Tsholofelo Molobe applauded the road safety committee for organising the workshop, saying it would assist all the stakeholders to iron out their daily challenges.

He said the one of challenges mostly faced by departments is poor management of fleet, which includes use of log books, appropriate parking places as well as cleanliness of vehicles. Mr Molobe also raised concern on some instances where government vehicles are serviced well after the stipulated mileage recommended.

He informed the drivers that proper caring of vehicles is vital as service delivery can be affected while vehicles are still grounded awaiting repairs after being involved in accidents. The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund and the Central Transport Organisation also presented on various topics at the workshop. Ends