Durban - Two thousand cars an hour were passing through Mariannhill Toll Plaza on the coast-bound N3 early yesterday afternoon, according to traffic authorities.
The road is one of the main routes to three important holiday destinations: the North Coast, the South Coast and Durban.
The traffic flow looked set to remain much the same for the afternoon as 2 191 cars also passed through the Mooi River Toll Plaza, 127km inland of Mariannhill, between 1pm and 2pm.
Road Traffic Inspectorate spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu said that further up the N3, 988 passed through the Tugela Toll Plaza, near Ladysmith, at the same time and 688 and 694 at the Wilge Plaza in the Free State and De Hoek Plaza in Gauteng respectively.
She said law enforcement officers were “out and about to ensure maximum safety on the roads”.
“However, we all know that road safety is everybody’s business,” she said.
“Motorists must obey the rules of the road, keep a safe distance from one another and remember to rest. Fatigue is a killer.”
The N3 Toll Concession’s Thania Dhoogra said traffic volumes were also expected to be heavier today.
“Slow-moving traffic, congestion and delays, driver inexperience or ineptitude, negligence, tiredness, concentration lapses, and unpredictable weather patterns all impact road safety,” Dhoogra said.
Road incident management systems, visible policing, and the deployment of emergency, rescue, medical and disaster management, as well as breakdown services, are heightened during peak traffic periods on the N3TC.
The Independent on Saturday