Western Cape MEC for transport and Public Works Robin Carlisle launched a campaign that will see two randomly selected motorists winning R25 000 each for good behaviour on the roads.
Carlisle, who was speaking at a press conference at his office yesterday, said the “Safely Home Road Safety Reward” campaign would run throughout the festive season and that motorists, including bus and taxi drivers, needed to remain fine-free in order to qualify.
He said: “All motorists in the province are automatically entered into the draw and winners will be drawn from those who meet set criteria and ensure that their details on the National Traffic Information System (eNatis) are correct and up to date.”
He said that in order to be eligible, drivers needed to ensure that they did not speed, drink and drive or use cellphones while driving. They should also be mindful of pedestrians and ensure that they (and passengers) were buckled up.
Some of the terms for the reward were that:
- The vehicle must be licensed in the Western Cape.
- The driver of the vehicle must not have any outstanding licence fees at the date of the draw.
- Drivers of government-owned vehicles would not be eligible for the draw.
- The driver must be a South African citizen and have a valid driver’s and, if applicable, a valid operating licence.
- No Western Cape government employees or any persons related to such employees will be eligible for a prize.
Carlisle said the type of driving they wanted to discourage was displayed by a driver from Maseru, Lesotho, who was arrested for driving a grey Mercedes Benz at 146km/h in an 80km/h zone on the Laingsburg – Leeu Gamka stretch of road on Friday ”This reckless and irresponsible driver was travelling with his wife and child in the vehicle,” said Carlisle, adding that the man had spent the entire long weekend in jail.
The campaign was aimed at encouraging those drivers with good records, instead of only focusing on the ones who did not obey the rules of the road.
Carlisle said there would be two draws to determine the winner, the first one would be on Monday while the second would be early next year. -Cape Argus