“Chillax” on your travels this festive season, you will get there!

Imperial’s road safety campaign aims to encourage drivers this festive season to get to their destinations safely.

The festive season is upon us, and for many this means road trips and a lot of time on the road. The unfortunate downside is that the festivities are often concluded with appalling road crash statistics. Therefore, Imperial Logistics (‘Imperial’), a leading international supply chain and logistics company, will be running its festive season road safety campaign across major national routes - encouraging road users to take a break and practice safe road usage. Road users are welcome to join Chillax, Imperial’s road safety savvy Penguin mascot between 06 December 2019 and 14 January 2020, to take a break while travelling, refuel and recharge and engage in fun activities between trips.

Says Mohammed Akoojee, Group CEO at Imperial, “Imperial is committed to supporting Government’s objective to combat road carnage, especially during the peak festive season. This is why Imperial, through this initiative, is offering holiday makers and truck drivers a conducive environment to take a break, especially during long-distance trips.”

Road carnage in South Africa is a crisis. Just last year, the festive season road death toll increased to a shocking 1 612. As a result, Imperial’s festive season road safety campaign is dedicated to combating irresponsible road usage in the peak season. The campaign will be held at service stations along the following routes; N3 from Gauteng to Durban Escourt (Shell Ultra City), N1 from Gauteng to Cape Town (Shell Ultra City Bloemfontein) and N1 from Gauteng to Polokwane (Sasol Zebetiela).

To ensure maximum impact, four peak traffic days have been identified, two in December and two in January, where both the departure to the holiday destinations and the return therefrom have been accounted for. These include; Friday 6^th December 2019, Saturday 7^th December 2019, Friday 13^th December 2019 and Saturday 14^th January 2019.

Over and above taking a break - some of the most important safety tips for drivers and other road users include:

• Don’t text and drive (check your messages during your ‘chill session’ or once you have arrived at your destination).
• Make sure you are visible on the road at all times.
• Buckle up - everyone in the vehicle should have their seat belts on.
• Know and obey the rules of the road at all times.
• Be mindful of other road users – and pay special attention to trucks and other large vehicles as smaller vehicles may not always be easily visible to them.

The campaign will also include a few fun activities suitable for the whole family, and agents dedicated to truck drivers. Holiday makers will also have free access to the following;

• A “Chill Zone” to cater for motorists to relax
• The Chillax Mascot (a very cool Penguin) to entertain the kids
• A facilitated Kids Zone to ensure that the kids get rid of their excess energy before they continue their journey
• Team members at the back of the service stations targeting truck drivers with safety messages
• The Imperial i-Pledge programme will be launched, whereby drivers will be afforded the opportunity to pledge towards road safety and utilise the photobooth as a way to publicly announce their pledge on social media
• Holiday makers and truck drivers will also receive awesome road safety gifts

“2019 has been a tough year for many and people have worked hard to get here. There is also a lot to look forward to in 2020, but we have to get there first, together! A 30-minute break can make a big difference and ignoring that text can save your life. ‘Chillax’ and practice safety on the roads so that you can enjoy the festive season,” concludes Akoojee.