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IMPERIAL makes South African roads safer for the 4th consecutive year
Today, at the Jeppe Quondam in Bedforview, IMPERIAL will hand over 13 patrol vehicles to N3 Toll Concession (N3TC) and 2 vehicles to the N1N4 Bakwena for additional route patrollers - in an aim to increase and boost route surveillance and patrol support during the busy festive season.In addition, N3TC, together with Angels in Motion (volunteer counsellors in Ladysmith) and Community Medical Services (volunteer paramedics), will be supporting victims of crashes as part of N3TC’s Duduza initiative, where two of the vehicles supplied by IMPERIAL’s Europcar will be used as a support unit operating on Van Reenen’s Pass - in the aim of carrying out this support function.
Says Niki Cronje, Group Marketing at IMPERIAL: “These two routes have previously been recorded as the busiest routes over the December holiday period and as such form a key pillar in our approach to road safety, where our long standing partnership is testament to our commitment to both travelling South Africans, as well as the respective concessionaires.”
This is the fourth consecutive year that a project of this nature has been undertaken – supported by IMPERIAL’s Europcar who are providing the vehicles for the activation. The vehicles will be available for this purpose from the 1st of December up until the end of the busy holiday season (3rd January 2015). Should drivers need assistance on these routes, they can identify the vehicles by the IMPERIAL, ‘Highway Patrol’ and either N3TC’s or N1/N4 Bakwena branding on the side of the vehicle. These vehicles are easily identifiable by the road user and will look to assist Road Incident Management Services in attending to - and reporting on - incidents along the N3, N1 and N4 routes of the N3TC and Bakwena toll concessions.
“This year we envision that these extra patrol vehicles will again provide further assistance on these congested roads and of course, as part of our continued commitment to ensuring safer roads for all, I believe that the highway patrol initiative reiterates our commitment to ensure that all road users’ journeys are safe and enjoyable – with the peace of mind that there is help available if they need it,” says Niki Cronje, Group Marketing at IMPERIAL.
Dawn Nathan-Jones, CEO of Europcar states: “Europcar is proud to be associated with the IMPERIAL Highway Patrol project and we believe that the addition of these patrol vehicles and the safety benefits they offer, will be a welcome addition to the roads.”
Cronje continues: “Even with these extra patrol vehicles being deployed to these roads, this is a vital time for drivers to be reminded of the dangers of the road and the necessary responsibility that comes with safe driving. The exhilaration that comes with the freedom and excitement of the festive season can easily impair a driver’s ability and therefore our role in educating the market around safe driving, the importance of taking regular stops and avoiding fatigue - as well as supporting them while on the road - is critical to managing road user’s safety.”
“With that said, it is up to all drivers to stay especially vigilant over holiday periods, to stay within the speed limit, buckle up, take scheduled stops, keep a safe following distance, and abstain from drinking and driving.”
“IMPERIAL has supported the highway patrol over a number of busy seasons – where last year we saw a decrease in the number of crashes and fatalities on these routes. With the continued support this year we believe that we will see the same positive influence garnered previously by this very critical initiative during this peak period and encourage all drivers to take it easy this festive season,” concludes Cronje.
