Imperial and Road Safety

Education at grass root level is critical in ensuring the viability of road safety into a child’s adult years and as such, this forms a key pillar of our road safety drive. However, adult and pedestrian education is just as critical and as a result, Imperial will not only continue with these initiatives but always look for new ways in which we can create a platform for road safety education across the country.

Highway Patrol

For the past 5 years, we have helped South Africans reach their destinations safely by partnering with our official vehicle sponsor, IMPERIAL Europcar and the toll road concessionaires over busy holiday periods.

Our involvement includes but not limited to:

• 24/7 route surveillance and patrol support
• N3TC Duduza ‘We Care’ Initiative, to assist with post-crash support
• EMRS vehicles to provide additional medical assistance on the N3 Toll Route
• Performance of regular road checks to ensure safer roads for all
• Ensures improved response times and patient care
• Narcotics testing on the N1N4 Bakwena route

How can you help?

• Take heed of the IMPERIAL Highway Patrol Vehicles along N1N4 and N3 toll routes during holiday periods
• Stay vigilant on the roads, especially over the busy holiday periods
• Fight fatigue - make sure you take a break every 200km’s
• Avoid taking any medication (including antihistamines tablets) before a long trip as it may cause drowsiness
• Keep your eyes on the road - Did you know that for every second we take our eyes and minds off the road, we lose one second in our average reaction and stopping time? Avoid distractions and focus on the task at hand: driving safely.
• Strap yourself in and most importantly - don’t forget to ensure that your children are restrained in a height & weight appropriate car seat
• Do not speed - especially in reduced visibility
• Keep a safe following distance
• DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!
• Drive with your headlights on, even during the day to ensure visibility

Car Seats for Kids

Launched in 2012, the Car Seats for Kids campaign aims to educate consumers around the importance of car seats and strapping our children in, as well as to provide access to car seats for those that can’t afford them or haven’t yet realised their importance.

To date, over 5 490 car seats have been distributed to communities around South Africa. In 2015 alone, the campaign collected 1 486 car seats and 1 291 of these have been redistributed to families in need of car seats or that haven’t yet realised their importance.  Before being redistributed to families, all donated car seats are re-upholstered, safety checked and cleaned, thanks to our partnership with a non-profit organisation, Wheel Well, to ensure that the seats are user friendly and defect free.

How can you protect our children?

• Adhere to legislation - buckle up your most precious cargo, your children in a height and weight appropriate car seat at all times! For infants, a rear-facing baby seat is required up until he/she is at least 9kg. The next step is a toddler seat for a child weighing between 9 - 18 kg. The last stage of child restraint is a booster seat; best used when a child has outgrown a toddler seat.
• Do your part and also encourage other parents to buckle up their kids too
• Spread the gift of safety and donate your used car seat (http://www.wheelwell.co.za/donate/)
• All collected car seats are refurbished, safety checked and cleaned by Wheel Well, before distribution

Scholar Patrol Improvement Project

Protecting our most vulnerable road users, our children - since October 2012

Over the years, the project has re-implemented scholar patrols in 720 schools nationwide as well as educated students and teachers around the basics of road safety. The project today continues to maintain the implemented scholar patrols at the various schools to ensure sustainability.

 What did we achieve?

• 606 059 learners educated
• 2880 teachers educated
• 4320 scholar patrollers trained
• 4320 bibs handed out
• 1440 stop signs erected
• 1440 ‘scholar patrol ahead’ signs erected

Why is Scholar Patrol so important?

• Dangerous traffic congestion occurs around schools every day, as many parents drop their kids off in the morning and pick them up after school
• Traffic authorities, school teachers and principals recognise that this congestion is one of the most dangerous part of a child’s journey to and from school and as such, put measures in place to mitigate any accidents
• Scholar Patrol is a very important public service that controls traffic and safeguards pedestrians
• Scholar Patrol enforces mandatory road rules in the minds of children to change their attitude towards safe road behaviour

IMPERIAL Road Safety aims to increase our footprint even further and bring a real change to road safety behaviour among South African children.

Safe Scholars Campaign

Generating awareness around safe road usage for learner pedestrians within schools ‘at risk’.

Launched in partnership with the Department of Education (DoE) in 2015, as an extension of Imperial’s Scholar Patrol Improvement Project - Safe Scholars aims to create a safe road usage environment for schools whose learners walk to and from school. In fact, each year children travel to and from school almost 200 times - exposing them to potential road danger.

To date we have achieved:

• Visited 120 schools as at January 2016
• 127 080 learners given road safety talks
• Distributed 18 000 sashes

As at the end of January 2016, both the Scholar Patrol Improvement Project and the Safe Scholars campaign have reached a total of 733 147 learners in total.

What we aim to achieve:

• Give less fortunate learner pedestrians access to reflective clothing
• Make reflective clothing a mandatory part of a child’s school uniform
• To visit over 300 schools and reach a quarter of a million young students over the next year
• Educate learners around the rules of the roads and being a pedestrian

We will expand this project in the near future to include the two major transport corridors in South Africa, namely: Joburg - Maputo and Joburg - Beit Bridge.

Brake & Tyre Watch

Working together with FleetWatch to remove un-roadworthy and dangerous trucks off South Africa’s roads.

In partnership with Fleetwatch Magazine, Imperial road Safety has taken part in regular ‘road blocks’ that aim to remove un-roadworthy and dangerous trucks off South African roads.

How does it work?

• Trucks are pulled over during a Brake & Tyre Watch activation on frequently travelled transport routes, and are safety checked for faults
• Brakes, tyres, lighting and reflectives are checked to determine roadworthiness
• 71% of commercial vehicles tested at the 4 Brake & Tyre Watch events that Imperial formed part of in 2015 were removed off the road due to faulty brakes & tyres.

IPledge website

At Imperial Road Safety, we believe that safer roads start with all of us. So join the 600 000 South Africans that have taken the I-Pledge towards being responsible road users.

Scholar Patrol Improvement Project

Protecting our most vulnerable road users, our children - since October 2012

Over the years, the project has re-implemented scholar patrols in 740 schools nationwide as well as educated students and teachers around the basics of road safety. The project today continues to maintain the implemented scholar patrols at the various schools to ensure sustainability.

What did we achieve?

• 606 059 learners educated
• 2880 teachers educated
• 4320 scholar patrollers trained
• 4320 bibs handed out
• 1440 stop signs erected
• 1400 ‘scholar patrol ahead’ signs erected

Also View:

IMPERIAL Road Safety

Imperial I-Pledge and Scholar Patrol Initiative

Scholar Patrol and Road Safety

Imperial Road Safety Programme