The N1 South highway in Pretoria was closed to motorists on Thursday morning for safety reasons, the City of Tshwane said.

“The N1 direction south has been closed again due to the dismantling of the crane on the N1 at Atterbury Road,” said spokesperson Console Tleane.

“It was found not to be safe to have the route opened while dismantling is taking place.”

Traffic from the N4 West will be diverted to the city centre and will not be allowed onto the N1 South.

The Atterbury bridge was also closed to traffic.

“The bridge is no longer safe. Motorists are advised to use alternative routes.”

Motorists should add between 45 minutes and an hour to their travelling time.

Accident

This was after a truck transporting iron rods plunged into a cement-mixing truck and three other vehicles before smashing into a crane at around 17:00 on Wednesday.

The body of one man was found trapped underneath one of the trucks and three other people were injured in the accident.

“Engineers worked throughout the night to stabilise the crane in the danger of [it] falling down,” said Tleane.

“It was found that it moved by about a metre. A decision was taken that the best option is to dismantle it and rebuild it again so that no danger is posed to motorists.”

In addition, part of the bridge that burnt will be “scraped” and rebuilt, said Tleane.

“We cannot predict how long this exercise is going to take.”

- SAPA

Old Main Road Queensburg Accident

A passenger from a taxi and a driver from a bakkie have sustained serious injuries after a collision on the Old Main Road this afternoon.

ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene to find the taxi in the left hand lane of the road, while the bakkie was across two lanes of the duel road. The driver of the bakkie was found still inside the vehicle. The man had sustained a laceration to his head and possible neck and back injuries. Specialised equipment was used to extricate the man from the vehicle.

The passenger of the taxi was found seated on the pavement. The patient was complaining of severe pains to her neck and back and had minor lacerations to her leg. Both patients were transported to R K Khans Hospital in a serious but stable condition for further medical treatment.

It is believed that the taxi had stopped in a non dedicated area on Old Main road. The driver of the bakkie was not able to move away quick enough and rear ended the taxi. The road was closed due to the accident but SAPS were on the scene to do the investigation.

Derrick Banks

ER24

Functions used on cellular phones

Bryanston – 84% of South Africans ‘cannot live’ without their cell phone. This is according to latest findings by market research company, Synovate.

Synovate interviewed metropolitan South Africans from the ages 16 and older, falling into LSMs 4 upwards about all things mobile: attitudes towards them, use (and abuse) of them, their mobile wishlists; as well as attitudes and knowledge about RICA and lastly Telkom’s anticipated entrance into the cell phone market. Respondents were interviewed face-to-face in the metropolitan areas of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.

Highest dependency on their phones was reported in the 25 – 34 year old age group – 91% of which declared that they could not live without their cell phones, followed closely by 87% in the 16 – 24 age category. The older segment (50+) broke some stereotyping by falling close behind with 84% not able to live without their phones.

“With the never-ceasing increase in functionality of cell phones, phones have gone far beyond calling, texting and taking photographs,” states Andries Lombaard, Client Services Director at Synovate. “They serve communication and information needs and definitely appeal to the need for expression and individuality amongst the younger generations.

“I can stop anytime…?”

Just how far does the dependency on cell phones go? Dependency being the key word, 86% of South Africans state that they can understand how some people are addicted to their phones. 58% agree that they would like to turn their cell phone off more often but are afraid they will miss something – certainly understandable how it can become a compulsion then.

Cell phones have acquired much popularity amongst marketers due to the fact that cell phones have become almost an extension of one’s person – 88% of respondents stating that they never leave home without it and 89% state that their cell phone even goes to bed with them or is not far away when they go to sleep.

“Marketers have seen the advantage of the availability offered by this device and there has been an exponential increase in mobile websites, push advertising and MMS campaigns,” states Lombaard. “With mobile you also have the opportunity to be more interactive and, if you have sufficient information on your customer database, to customize content accordingly… making it a far more personal and relevant message for the receiver”.

Of those interviewed 82% stated that they own one phone and 16% had 2 phones. Ownership of 2 phones is more popular in the Indian and White population groups. Only 2% reported having more than 2 cell phones.

When asked which would be more difficult to replace – cell phone or wallets – 54% of respondents indicated that the cell phone would be a greater loss. This is especially so in the younger generations; whereas those above 50 indicate that their wallet would be harder to replace.

“It might be difficult to believe for some of us that cell phones are so difficult to replace,” states Lombaard. “But cell phones these days carry much more information and media than they used to. Firstly you have all your contact information, birthdays, addresses and so on. And secondly they hold photographs and music that would be a big pity to lose. Wallets hold less personal, or sentimental, significance.”

Smartphones

One in five of those interviewed own a smart phone; being more popular among males (24%) and those between the ages of 25 – 34 (23%). Smartphones are most popular in Johannesburg (25%) and then Durban (27%).

“Competition between the smartphone brands has become fierce,” states Lombaard. “While the complex functions may be a barrier to some, the fact that the younger generations are showing a preference for them is a sure-fire sign that these are only set to grow in popularity. As the functions become more standard, and consumers more comfortable with them, I think we will battle to find phones that are not what is now termed as ‘smart’ in the future.”

Multi-tasking.

Being a device with many uses, Synovate asked respondents what they use their cell phones for, beyond from the obvious function of making calls. Perhaps explaining the need to have their cell phones close to their bed, 87% of respondents use the alarm clock function. 82% use their phones to snap pictures with the camera and 66% listen to or download music on their phones. 71% play games on their phones, having access to online games as well as the games preloaded onto their phones. Almost a third send and receive email, while 46% use their phone for Internet Browsing. Social networking is conducted by 45% of those interviewed and 16% use mobile MSN to chat to their friends. 47% watch video clips and for those lucky enough to get TV on their phones, 15% watch TV.

Top of the wish-list for desired new functions is television – a quarter of respondents saying that this is what they would like to see most on new cell phones. A fifth said that they would like more memory and 11% would like a faster internet connection. 10% hope to see a movie function and 8% more music functions. Despite the pocket-sized phones on the market, 6% say they want to see phones getting smaller. 3% are looking forward to interactive gaming some time in the future.

Phone flirt and dirt

The cell phone not only makes communication easier in terms of the functions that it offers, but also for those who are reticent about face-to-face communication. Text messages make the delicate parts of communication easier … 61% stated that they had used SMS to pass on a difficult message; while 56% had used SMS to lie about where they are or why they are running late. 68% have used SMS for the usually tough job of saying no to something that they didn’t want to do or to decline an invitation.

36% of those interviewed have used SMS to set up a first date and for those fearful of courting and dating, SMS offers a “safe” option for the more daunting aspects of a romantic relationship. 49% had used SMS to flirt with their partners while 37% confessed that they had used SMS to flirt with someone who was not their partner.

Unfortunately “hiding” behind your phone makes breaking up not-so-hard to do. Nearly a third of respondents had broken up with someone over SMS and 27% have been broken up with using this method of communication. Men are more likely to do the dumping over SMS – with 36% having done this compared to 27% of women interviewed.

Is the cellphone market ready for Telkom?

With Telkom gearing up to enter the cell phone market, Synovate quizzed respondents on what they thought of the new competition for Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Virgin. 77% agreed that Telkom’s offering would have to be unique for them to change from their current service provider. This sentiment was most pronounced in Pretoria (90%) and Cape Town (88%).

However, 68% do agree that there is sufficient space for another provider to enter the market. 71% believe that Telkom has the infrastructure and 68% believe they have the sufficient sales and distribution channels to sell their products.

Half of those interviewed indicated that they were likely to purchase a Telkom SIM in the future.

“It is encouraging to see that South Africans are always open and receptive to new entrants,” concludes Lombaard.

-end-

About Synovate

Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6, 000 staff in 121 cities across 57 countries.

More information on Synovate can be found at www.synovate.com  and www.synovate.com/southafrica

NB: You can also use your cellular phone to find emergency information when on the roads. Visit the mobile road safety website from your cellular phone on www.arrivealive.mobi

Truck Tyre

We would like to share the scary truth of the impact of worn tyres on this Blog. The pictures pretty much tell the story; these photos are from 9 different incidents from November 2009 up until February 2010. Only four months or so.

And they only cover Randburg, Midrand, N1 and one incident in Greenside. Consider how many other incidents occurred nationally and others locally where the state of the tyres was not even noted.

Without going into detail; Injuries too numerous to count. Five people killed.

16 passengers in “the taxi” lying on its side.

The victim “going for help” ran across the freeway after his car ended up in the bushes, “canvas visible” on his vehicles front tyre. May be unrelated.

The latest victim died about 2 hours ago when the “smooth tyred taxi” driver lost it in the rain.

Bakkie Blowout..retread maybe..

Bakkie rim marks...

Blow-out ..no accident

Canvas visible

End result...passenger dead...

..going for help..

..fatal for the bakkie driver...

 We will add more photos in another blog post…

Also view:

• Tyres and Road Safety
• Tyres and Car Insurance

JSE-listed fleet management company DigiCore is set to launch a personal tracking unit in time for the Fifa Soccer World Cup.

However, DigiCore is still feeling the effects of the global recession, which led to lower sales volumes and a change in the mix of items sold to lower margin units. The company sought to reduce the effects of the slowdown in sales by trimming operating expenditure by 14%.

It is also continuing to invest in new areas, such as expanding into personal tracking. The launch of the personal tracking device will coincide with the games in June “for the convenience and safety of visitors to SA,” the company says.

DigiCore is also looking to expand into the North and South Americas. Distributors have already been identified and local product-approval processes have been initiated. It expects to start product shipments by mid-2010 to at least one new distributor.

“All indications are that the group has weathered the worst, with the lowest sales recorded during April to August 2009,” it says. Enquiries and sales have been increasing steadily and it is confident of a gradual recovery in its markets.

International impact

DigiCore has grown from commercial vehicle fleet management to a stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) business. Despite the recession, sales units were up 1.5% during the half year to December.

However, revenue decreased from R288 million, for the six months to December 2008, to R249 million. Net profit dropped 59%, from R56.7 million a year ago, to R22.8 million.

Export sales have decreased to only 40% of total units produced, from the usual level of more than 50%. DigiCore attributes this to a slowdown in units sold in the UK, European and Pakistan businesses, which traditionally comprise the bulk of its export sales.

In SA, its SVR business has achieved constant growth over the past two years and the company is “confident this growth will continue”.

However, DigiCore’s fleet management business suffered during the half year, in line with a slowdown in commercial vehicle sales, and has been particularly affected by the reduction in government spending.

The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA’s sales figures for February show sales of medium commercial vehicles fell 34.3%, while heavy trucks and buses improved marginally by 1.7%, compared to February last year.

DigiCore hopes that its new Go Green range, which allows reporting of CO2 emissions, will support growth in the coming months.

The company’s shares were unchanged at 300c this morning.

[Info from ITWeb.co.za]

A fourth cyclist died in hospital after a bakkie drove into a group of cyclists near Oudtshoorn on Monday, a spokesperson said.

Xenophone Wentzel, spokesperson for the Western Cape provincial traffic department said the fourth victim died in hospital on Monday afternoon.

“Provincial traffic officers informed me about the death just after 14:00,” he said.

Two men and a woman died on the scene when a bakkie drove into the group of 11 cyclists just after 06:00 on the R62 between Oudtshoorn and Calitzdorp. The group was practising for the Argus cycle race.

Police spokesperson Bernadine Steyn said the bakkie attempted to overtake a truck, which had been travelling from Calitzdorp to Oudtshoorn when the 62-year-old driver drove into the group. The accident happened about 9km outside Oudtshoorn.

Two men, Frank Nel, 60, and Jan Elloff, 73, and one woman, Magda van Lill, 50, were killed on the scene.

Only one other cyclist was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital in Oudtshoorn.

“He died of his injuries,” said Wentzel. His name has not been released. The driver of the bakkie was treated for shock before being discharged from hospital.

Steyn said cases of culpable homicide were being investigated but no one had been arrested.

- SAPA

Hail Damage

Melbourne was bracing itself on Sunday for further storms after a mini-cyclone ripped through Australia’s second largest city, bringing with it hail stones the size of tennis balls.

The storm dumped heavy rain across the southern state of Victoria, and smashed into the regional capital with winds of up to 100km/h, cutting power to 100 000 homes.

Some 26mm of rain fell on Melbourne within an hour while other areas recorded up to 70mm during the Saturday storm.

“Yesterday we had golf-to-tennis ball-sized hail and certainly there’s a prospect of similar sized hail somewhere in the state today,” Richard Carlyon, the Bureau of Meteorology’s senior forecaster, told ABC radio.

“Whether it’s Melbourne I’m not so sure about… but if it’s not Melbourne, I think there’s a very good prospect of large hail being reported somewhere in the state.”

In the city centre the National Gallery of Victoria suffered flooding, while the Docklands Stadium was among those buildings damaged during the violent storm, which washed out horse races.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Wasyl Drosdowsky said the hail that hit in one suburban area was up to 10cm in diameter.

Once-in-a-century

“(It was) tennis ball size roughly,” he said. “As far as we can tell, that’s close to the biggest hail we’ve seen in Melbourne.”

As the city readied for further violent storms on Sunday, once-in-a-century floods were peaking in the state of Queensland in the country’s north east, parts of which have been in drought for almost a decade.

Townships in the state’s cotton-growing south were cut off by rising flood waters and in St George the Balonne River reached 13.5m, its highest level since records began in 1890.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said the cost of the flooding would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, as there had been major damage to highways and rail lines had been washed away.

“This is a massive water event which has smashed all the records known here in the south west,” she told reporters on Sunday as she toured St George.

“All this water ultimately is going to mean great things for local (farmers) but there is a lot of pain to be felt in these communities before we can see total recovery.”

In the nearby tiny town of Nindigully, residents were marvelling at the amount of water surrounding the rural outpost.

“Overall, we are happy to have experienced this flood because of the beauty of vast expanses of water through the bush that you never forget,” Steve Burns, the owner of the 146-year-old Nindigully Pub told AAP.

- SAPA

Also view:

• Does your car insurance cover hail damage?

Five people were killed in a collision between a truck and a car in the Free State, paramedics said on Sunday.

Details were unclear of how the 18-wheeler truck collided with the car on the R70 between Senekal and Ventersburg late on Saturday night, said ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak.

Paramedics arrived on the scene shortly after 23:00 and found three men and two women dead in the car. “Most of the occupants were unrecognisable and sustained multiple fatal injuries,” said Vermaak.

The truck overturned and the car “was completely ripped apart”, he said.

The truck driver was taken to a hospital in Welkom with moderate injuries.

- SAPA

At least one man was killed and four others were injured in a collision on the R28/N14 Pinehaven Interchange this evening.

Bystanders on the scene explained to paramedics that approximately 23:00 a truck traveling down the hill from Krugersdorp smashed into vehicles at the intersection.

It is understood that the truck tried to avoid the collision and veered partially onto the middle island when it collided with a TATA at the intersection ripping it to pieces. After colliding with the TATA the truck apparently started to overturn and smashed into a white bakkie dragging it for several meters underneath the truck.

The truck landed upside down further down the highway with its load of potatoes scattered across the scene, blocking the N14 completely. When paramedics arrived on the incident they found a man, believed to be an occupant of the truck lying between the potatoes with multiple fatal injuries. He was declared dead on the scene. Another man, also believed to be from the truck, was found several meters away with multiple critical injuries.

Paramedics had to implement advanced life support on the scene to try and stabilise him. He was later airlifted to a nearby hospital for further medical management. The female driver of the TATA sustained multiple injuries and was rushed off to a nearby hospital per ambulance. The two occupants of the bakkie miraculously escaped with moderate injuries. They were also transported to hospital by ambulance.

The exact cause of the accident will be investigated. ER24 attended to numerous fatal truck accidents at this intersection.

Werner Vermaak

ER24

85 Children were injured and two others were killed in a horror accident on Church Street extension in Limpopo this morning.

It is understood that a truck collided with a bus and a taxi carrying 85 school children at the time. A VW Caddy and an Opel Corsa was also involved in the collision. Two of the children aged between 10 and 12 years died on the scene due to massive trauma.

Fire fighters had to use the jaws of life to rescue some of the children that were trapped in the wreckage of the bus and the taxi.

Eight sustained moderate injuries and 77 sustained slight injuries. Amongst the injured were two adults, believed to be teachers of the school.

No one sustained any injuries in the Opel Corsa. A lady received treatment on the scene from paramedics after she was extricated from her VW Caddy.

The exact cause of the accident is not yet known and will be investigated by the local authorities. It is not clear at the time if the parents were informed of the incident or which school the children are attending.

Werner Vermaak
ER24