By Clayton Barnes
The high levels of road construction ahead of the World Cup have resulted in a rise in vehicle-related injuries and deaths, says RoadCover, a membership-based service that processes claims against the Road Accident Fund.
Its chief executive, Eugene Beck, said the organisation had processed 20 percent more claims against the RAF this year than in previous years, primarily due to roadwork-related accidents. He said every province had several "hotspots" where increased roadwork activity had led to rising accident levels.
The N2 in Cape Town had "featured prominently" as a hotspot, Beck said.
"More needs to be done in terms of improving safety for drivers and non-motorists at major roadwork sites in order to reduce accident levels."
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Beck listed poor signage at road construction sites, makeshift concrete barriers, sudden changes in direction of temporary roads and narrower than normal lanes as the main reasons for accidents at these points.
"Signage at many sites is currently not geared for 24-hour visibility, with night visibility a particular problem," he said. "More effort needs to be made to increase the visibility of signage and safety flaggers in order to pre-warn and protect all users."
Beck cited the lack of action against traffic offenders at roadwork sites as a contributing factor to rising accident statistics. .
"Many drivers also use the slowdown in traffic flow to make cellphone calls, which, when coupled with the distraction of roadwork activities, increases the chances of accidents in these areas."
The increase in the number of injuries and deaths at roadwork zones was consistent with the trend in other parts of the world.
According to the latest US statistics released by the Federal Highway Administration, the annual number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in roadwork zones has increased by 45 percent over the past decade.
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