Trucks account for 50% of crashes on N3

Trucks are responsible for at least half of the accidents on the N3, according to Con Roux, commercial manager for N3TC. “We see around 549 crashes involving trucks on the N3 every year,” he said. “That is more than one a day. This is a disproportionately high number of accidents if one takes into account the fact that trucks constitute about 35% of the traffic on the toll road.” He said at least 75 truck drivers died on the N3 every year. “That constitutes at least two deaths a month. And so we are committed to road safety and finding ways to decrease that number.” He said questions had been asked as to why there were so many fatalities on the N3 which is arguably the best road in the country from an infrastructure point of view. “Infrastructure and engineering of roads are important elements when it comes to road accidents. We have a world class road yet our accident statistics are so high,” he said. “It would seem the better the quality of the road, the more accidents. This can be attributed to speeding on the improved road infrastructure.” He said on the N3 there was evidence of trucks doing around 140km per hour, which is extraordinarily dangerous. He said road infrastructure along with the human element accounted for around 76% of all accidents, with vehicle factors contributing minimally. “In terms of when accidents happen involving trucks it is mostly at night,” said Roux. “At least 60% of all incidents involving trucks take place at night.”