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10 December 2015 – Johannesburg, Today, as part of Imperial Road Safety’s commitment to raising awareness and supporting key initiatives that encourage road safety, the company announced its recommitment to their partnership with Bakwena N1N4 toll road and N3 Toll Concession (N3TC) that will see a continued, solid focus on addressing road safety this Festive Season, on the N1N4 and N3 toll routes.
“As leaders in mobility it is our responsibility to encourage road safety and ensure that we are taking the lead in doing so. This project, we believe, does just this and of course, there is no better way to drive road safety than to create key opportunities at a time where road crashes are at their highest – the need is large,” says Niki Cronje, Group Marketing at Imperial.
As part of this project, Imperial Road Safety and Imperial’s Car rental Division, through Europcar, today handed over four vehicles to Bakwena as well as 15 patrol and Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS) vehicles to N3TC, to be used between 10 December 2015 and 05 January 2016. This vehicle sponsorship - running for the fourth consecutive year and supported by Imperial’s Europcar - is aimed at increasing and boosting route surveillance, patrol support and post-crash care during South Africa’s busiest holiday season.
“There is no doubt that visible policing of our roads influences consumers to be more cautious and to ensure they practice safer road usage and as such, the support from Imperial Road Safety during such busy seasons is fundamental to aiding us in servicing the needs of road users and ensuring safer roads for all,” says Charmaine Van Wyk, PR Officer for Bakwena. “In fact, in April this year, the Bakwena route saw 4 less crashes than the previous year & zero fatalities over the Easter period, with the N3 route decreasing the number of fatalities from 3 the previous year, to zero – evidence of the influence of additional road patrol vehicles and the importance of support such as this from corporate South Africa.”
Bakwena has established a good working relationship with the Traffic Authorities along the N1N4 route who will be carrying out regular road checks along the route over the holiday period.
Of the 15 vehicles allocated to N3TC, two of the vehicles provided will be used to provide additional medical assistance on the N3 Toll Route – as well as a vehicle for the N3TC Duduza ‘We Care’ Initiative, to assist with post-crash support in the Van Reenen and Ladysmith vicinity along the Route.
“These vehicles will be used to improve response times and patient care, in the unfortunate instance that there is a crash along the Route - a service that is most welcomed and will go a long way in demonstrating solid route support,” states Con Roux, Commercial Manager of N3TC. “Imperial has previously shown complete commitment and dedication to assisting N3TC in making the N3 Toll Route safer over this time and we look forward to another strong road safety campaign this year.”
“We are committed to improving road safety and supporting the larger Imperial brand in achieving this. Therefore, we are proud to, yet again, form a key pillar of this project and trust that we will make a sound difference through our involvement. As a leader in the vehicle rental space, we understand the importance of contributing to the safety of South African citizens on our roads and believe that this vehicle sponsorship is certainly one way in which we are creating safer roads this holiday season,” states Corne Venter, CEO of Imperial Car Rental Division.
Expect road blocks along the N3 Toll Route and main arterial routes leading to the N3.
Additionally, the consumption of alcohol or drugs greatly increases the risk of crashes. As a depressant, alcohol slows down the functions of the nervous system and affects information-processing skills and hand-eye coordination, often leading to a lack of concentration, comprehension and coordination as well as delayed reactions. Similarly, drugged driving poses the same threats whether it is from medication, legal or illegal substances.
Therefore, the N3TC has implemented a narcotics testing facility along its routes that will aim to identify those road users driving under the influence of a number of awareness inhibiting drugs.
Roux indicated that such testing is a critical part of managing road safety effectively, given that narcotics can severely inhibit driving ability, with broad research suggesting that drugs have the same impairment ability as that of alcohol.
In an effort to curb the high incidence of drivers and pedestrians under the influence of drugs and alcohol along main traffic routes, N3TC has funded alcohol and drug screening equipment and training to officers of the SA Police Service, and Provincial and Municipal law enforcement agencies along the N3 Toll Route.
More than 25 Lifeloc alcohol screening devices have been issued to various SA Police Service (SAPS) stations along the N3 Toll Route. SAPS and the Provincial and Municipal traffic law enforcement agencies have also received drug test kits from N3TC, which will be used at various road blocks throughout the holiday season.
“Whether ensuring road safety through scholar patrol, pedestrian visibility, or encouraging people to buckle up their children, Imperial Road Safety is committed to changing people’s perceptions around being responsible road users and as such, this project is an extension of our broad and focused commitment to road safety for all. We look forward to a safer and more aware holiday period and wish all road users safe travels this festive season,” concludes Cronje.
Imperial Holdings is a JSE listed South African-based international group of companies active predominantly in three major areas of mobility: consumer and industrial logistics; vehicle import, distribution, dealerships, retail, rental and aftermarket parts; and vehicle-related financial services. Imperial employs over 52 000 people who generate revenues of over R100 billion in Africa, Europe, South America, Australia and the United States through five major divisions which operate under separate management structures to enable decentralised entrepreneurial creativity within the group’s clearly-defined strategic, capital, budgetary and governance principles. Imperial strives for focused value creation and leadership in its chosen markets by allocating capital and resources to those organic and acquisitive growth opportunities that will enhance and be enhanced by the group’s existing assets and capabilities. www.imperial.co.za
About N3 Toll Concession (Pty) Ltd
The N3 Toll Route between Heidelberg South interchange in Gauteng and Cedara interchange, near Hilton, in Kwa-Zulu Natal is a public private partnership between N3 Toll Concession (N3TC) and the South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL). SANRAL and N3TC entered into a concession contract in 1999, which gave N3TC the responsibility to design, construct, finance, operate and maintain the N3 Toll Route for a period of 30 years. Visit www.n3tc.co.za to plan your trip along the N3 Toll Route or follow N3TCon Twitter: @N3Route.
About Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concessionaire (Pty) Ltd
Bakwena signed a 30 year Concession Contract with the South African National Roads Agency Ltd SOC (SANRAL) to design, build, finance, operate and maintain a 95km section of the N1 (between Pretoria and Bela Bela) and 295km of the N4 (between the capital and Botswana). For more information about Bakwena you can log onto www.bakwena.co.za or follow us on twitter @BakwenaN1N4
ABOUT EUROPCAR SOUTH AFRICA
Europcar is owned and managed by the Imperial Group and has a history spanning over 35 years in Southern Africa. Europcar has a fleet of approximately 20 000 vehicles at over 100 locations throughout the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries and over 160 countries across the global network.
Holding ISO9001 (2008) accreditation, Europcar is committed to quality management. Europcar also holds a Level 2 BBBEE rating and is a member of the South African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (SAVRALA). Europcar was voted Africa’s Leading Car Hire Company at the 2015 World Travel Awards for the tenth consecutive year.
The team at Europcar strive to be the car rental company of choice, and an inspirational brand that makes a positive difference to its people, its customers and the planet.
