- Six Kia patrol vehicles sponsored to Bakwena N1N4 toll road to assist Road Incident Management Services to increase and boost route surveillance, crash assistance and patrol support over the busy Easter period
- This is the 12th year that parent company Motus is involved with the Bakwena project, and Kia’s fourth
5 April 2023 – Kia South Africa today handed over six Kia vehicles to the Bakwena N1N4 Toll Concession for use over the Easter holiday period. The renewed partnership signals Kia’s fourth consecutive year of supporting Bakwena, along with its South African parent company, Motus, to promote good driver behaviour, pedestrian safety and overall road safety on one of the country’s busiest routes.
“There are a multitude of factors that contribute to our country’s road fatalities,” comments Gary Scott, CEO of Kia South Africa. “Visible policing assists in encouraging better driving behaviour, attitude and discipline. Kia’s partnership assists in increasing this visibility through the provision of additional patrol vehicles on the route, thereby creating safer roads for all.”
The success of this campaign is evident from the stats. During the 2022 festive period, Bakwena reported a reduction in fatalities which can be attributed to the increased visibility of law enforcement along the route. A total of 10 fatalities (three of which were pedestrians) were recorded compared to the previous year of 23. On the occasion of the release of the 2022 Festive Season Preliminary Statistics earlier in the year, former Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula noted: “Efforts to have visible policing at hazardous locations will continue to be a priority, especially at accident-prone times.”
Bakwena will have access to six vehicles – three Kia Sonets, two Kia Seltos and a Kia Carnival – over the Easter holidays. These vehicles will be used by the various law enforcement authorities to assist Road Incident Management Services to increase and boost route surveillance, crash assistance and patrol support over this period along the N1N4 route.
“Road crashes are often unexpected and sudden, leaving a devastating impact on all parties involved. It is for this reason that we welcome the continuous support we receive from Motus Corporation and Kia South Africa who provide an additional six vehicles to us to assist with enhancing our route surveillance, crash assistance as well as support to road users, ensuring safer roads for all. This initiative supports government’s efforts of reducing the carnage on our roads.” says Solomon Kganyago, Chief Operations Officer for Bakwena.
The partnership is a further extension of Kia’s #KiaTsamaya brand campaign, which includes a catchy road-trip anthem that expresses the notion of going away, alone and together, and finding inspiration in the places we go to and the shared experiences.
“The Easter holidays is a time when many South Africans are travelling, and we continue to call on all drivers – whether the trip is long or short – to really focus on enjoying the journey,” comments Stephen Crosse, Sales & Marketing Director at Kia South Africa. “For South Africans, the journey is as much a part of the enjoyment as reaching the destination, and with the right driver behaviour, regular stops and a friendly smile to fellow travellers, we can all get to our destinations safely.”
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