Durban -The SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) has used new textured shoulder lines on the N2 and N3 around Durban as a new safety measure to help reduce car crashes.
Road safety advocates have welcomed the new markings.
According to statistics from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), in South Africa last year 14050 people died in 11437 crashes, with KZN accounting for 2734 fatalities.
The causes of the crashes were human factors (91%), road and environment factors (5%), and vehicle factors (3%).
Hugh Brooks, Sanral’s eastern region project manager - pavement design support, said: “As an added safety feature, the new road markings also fulfil the purpose of a rumble strip.
“Centre-line rumble strips are used on undivided highways to reduce cross-over incidents and resultant head-on collisions,” he said.
“Shoulder rumble strips are used primarily to reduce run-off-road collisions.
“They alert distracted or drowsy drivers that they are leaving the roadway or crossing the centre line.”
Brooks said they had used textured road markings on the shoulder lines on the N2 and N3 around Durban, including the undivided dual carriageways, where there were high volumes of traffic where driver concentration was crucial.
“The lines are in actual fact little balls of plastic paint dropped on to the road surface which create a slight humming noise when traversed by a vehicle’s tyre,” he said.
“These textured markings are also expected to provide better reflectivity at night.”
Kwanele Ncalane, the provincial Department of Transport spokesperson, said they welcomed any measure that promoted road safety.
“The rumble strips were designed by specialists in road safety, and all provisions for road safety must be adhered to,” Ncalane said.
“If people violate these provisions, they are putting themselves and the lives of others in danger.”
Advocate Johan Jonck, of Arrive Alive, said they applauded Sanral for the new measures.
“Driver fatigue is a killer and one of the reasons for many head-on collisions and roll-over crashes. Effective road engineering through driver-alert sections and rumble strips is an important element to increasing safety,” Jonck said.
He said to improve road safety, the four Es - education, enforcement, evaluation and engineering - were needed.
AA spokesperson Layton Beard said if Sanral had the data that would prove it would work, they would endorse it.
“It doesn’t seem like it would have a negative effect since it will help people to not cross over while driving. It would be interesting to see the results,” Beard said.
Richard Benson, founder of the Road Safety Action Campaign, said the textured markings were a recognised safety measure worldwide, but it only solved part of the problem.
“We also need proper speed limits and traffic police to enforce safety measures,” he said.
“South Africa needs to reduce speed limits and there are a lot of vehicles that are not roadworthy, and drunk drivers, on the roads,” Benson said.