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18 April 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba
Be Safe on road
Be safe on the roads: Prevention is better than a hospital ward or coffin.

Safety starts with you, non-compliance ends you. A traffic spike over the Easter holidays does not justify disobeying road rules. The university is counting on all students, both drivers and pedestrians, to continue prioritising safety on the roads.

Don’t be a statistic, take responsibility
The 2018 Preliminary Easter Road Safety Report issued by the Department of Transport, indicated that most accidents were caused by irresponsibility.  “In 2018, human factor contributed 89,5% to crashes as compared to the 74,3% in 2017. The number of jay-walking pedestrians killed on our roads also increased to 38% as compared to 25,2% in 2017,” said Minister of Transport, Blade Nzimande.

The university implores you to play a role in reducing these numbers in 2019.

On driving and cellphones
According to Arrive Alive, the use of communication devices while driving is prohibited. “No person shall drive a vehicle on a public road while holding a cellular or mobile telephone or any other communication device in one or both hands or with any other part of the body, unless such a device is affixed to the vehicle or is part of the fixture in the vehicle.”

Pedestrian duties
Pedestrians are encouraged to practice caution when using sidewalks and while crossing the road. When walking, face oncoming traffic and pay attention to traffic signs so as not to constitute a source of danger to yourself or to traffic.

Safe speed saves lives
A general speed limit of 60 kilometres per hour shall apply to all public roads within urban areas, 100 kilometres per hour on public roads, and 120 kilometres per hour on freeways. Abide by these speed limits, unless stated otherwise by traffic signs.

More tips on drunken driving, wearing seat belts, and other aspects of road safety are easily available on the Arrive Alive website.

News Archive

UFS closes pedestrian entrances to improve safety on campus
2010-08-05

The University of the Free State (UFS) will remove pedestrian gates on its Main Campus in an extra effort to improve safety on this campus.

It was decided to implement this plan because the campus covers a huge area and people who are not part of the campus community hang around on the campus, sometimes causing damages. This idea is also strongly supported by students, in particular with regard to the removal of the pedestrian thoroughfares close to the hostels.

The following pedestrian gates will not be removed:

- The pedestrian thoroughfares on both sides of the DF Malherbe Gate (next to the Faculty of Health Sciences). Both the main gate and the pedestrian thoroughfares at the DF Malherbe Gate remain open 24 hours a day.
- The pedestrian thoroughfares at the Badenhorst Street Gate (close to Roosmaryn Residence). The Badenhorst Gate is not open 24 hours a day, but the pedestrian thoroughfare will remain open 24 hours a day.

The following pedestrian thoroughfares will be removed with effect from 1 September 2010:

- The pedestrian thoroughfare to the east of Pellies Park
- The pedestrian thoroughfare to the west of Pellies Park (directly behind JMB Hertzog Residence)
- The turnstile between the Kovsie Church and the Wynand Mouton Gate
- The pedestrian thoroughfare behind the tennis courts
- The pedestrian thoroughfares behind the rugby fields

A request was also directed at the Kovsie Church to close down the pedestrian thoroughfare between the Kovsie Church and the UFS. This gate will then be opened during church activities.

From 1 September 2010, the personnel of Security Services will regularly patrol the fences. Trespassers that flatten the fencing to enter the campus will be prosecuted.

Students, personnel and visitors are encouraged to make use of the main entrance gates of the UFS. These include the Main Gate (in Nelson Mandela Drive), the Wynand Mouton Gate (in DF Malherbe Drive), the DF Malherbe Gate (in Wynand Mouton Drive), the Badenhorst Street Gate (close to Roosmaryn Residence) and the Furstenburg Gate (in Furstenburg Road).

Media Release:
Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za
5 August 2010

 

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