There is something wrong with that road. Or should I rather say the drivers who use it, says Anastacia Terane.
Pretoria - Perhaps that little prayer I always say before setting my foot on the bus to head home has been the reason I have managed to escape the horrors of the “road of death” – the Moloto road.
I have been travelling on that road most of my life and have never found myself in an accident, but trust me: I have witnessed deplorable deaths on that road.
Every time I get on the bus, I wonder if it will be the last of me.
And it is no joke. There is something wrong with that road. Or should I rather say the drivers who use it?
Here is a scenario which has been bugging me for some time now:
Three o’clock on the dot, a driver prepares to take commuters to work in Pretoria. He drives for two to three hours to the city, offloads his passengers and then heads back to take another load to town.
I believe during the day they get time to take a little nap then come back to carry on with the afternoon shift.
The driver who took you to work in the morning is the same driver who will take you back home late in the evening. Take note: the passengers will possibly arrive home at eight or nine. By the time the drivers gets home, it is probably 10 and they prepare for bed.
After three to four hours, the driver is up again to prepare for a new day.
Is the amount of sleep they get enough to keep them going every day?
Is there a solution?
I often hear people saying accidents happen because the road is too narrow, therefore, the government must broaden the road to reduce the number of accidents. Do we really believe that is the solution? It might take years before that happens.
Fact is, there are plenty of buses, taxis and cars heading to Pretoria and that causes a lot of congestion, so broadening the road will not make it any easier because the drivers are rude on the road.
It’s 19 years into democracy, but people still wake up at two to catch the three o’clock buses to go to work! Yet we say we are growing as a nation.
We need to look at the real problem before trying to come up with a solution. The reason most people travel to Pretoria and other neighbouring areas is jobs.
As a government and country that is growing, why not initiate projects that will create jobs locally so that the number of people going to Pretoria can decrease? That way there will not be congestion of transport on the road that leads to shocking fatalities. Better yet, why not have other means of transport like a train system?
There are various myths attributed to the causes of accidents on the road – from witchcraft to mysterious apparitions that cross the road and distract drivers. Prayer sessions have been held on the road to reduce the ongoing carnage. But accidents continue to rob innocent people of their lives. This week 30 people died in an accident involving a bus and two trucks.
Putco also has a task, since most accidents include their buses. The drivers must stop the norm of wanting to drive two hours from town to home as this makes them end up being impatient on the road.
This applies to passengers too, as they put drivers under pressure, saying they are tired and must get home quickly.
When I heard of the latest accident, I could picture myself as the next victim. It is possible but not if we work together and come up with a solution. There has to be one, this has to stop.
My deepest condolences go to the families who have lost their loved ones. Some were probably sole breadwinners and have children who will never see them again. How sad! How many deaths should occur before there is action on this?
I bet it will be “life goes on” even after the victims have been laid to rest. That has always been the case after all.
* The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Newspapers.
Pretoria News