A 69-year-old woman from Somerset West was travelling on the N2 when she drove over an object that caused her tyre to burst, and minutes later “knights” in bulletproof vests arrived and helped her change her tyre safely.
On Wednesday (5 April) Daleen Rykaart was heading towards Cape Town when an object punctured the left rear tyre of her Honda Jazz and it burst.
After pulling to the side of the road, her daughter, Karen Rykaart, was her first port of call, before sending a message at 12:28 to the Safe N2 Project from which she requested assistance.
“My mom was heading to Cape Town to visit some friends,” Karen explained. “She drove over the object when changing lanes and the tyre burst.
“Luckily she realised what had happened and kept driving for about 3 km before coming to a stop at the side of the road, about a 100 m from the R300 bridge).
“She realised it was not a safe spot and immediately called me and then messaged the Safe N2 group and asked for assistance.”
Neil Slater, owner of the Safe N2 Project, confirmed the group had helped Rykaart after her vehicle’s tyre burst, and not only changed it for her but also kept an eye on her to ensure her safety.
“We launched the Safe N2 Project in August 2015 and have been operating since,” he said. “We have operators who work most hours of the day Mondays to Fridays from 05:00 to 21:00 and on Saturdays from 11:00 to 18:00.
“We monitor the roads and general conditions in the Western Cape that concerns the safety of motorists. We do regular traffic updates and also load shedding reminders.
“We also keep our network updated on protest action and basically anything that could affect the public’s safety.”
Slater mentioned that in a situation such as the one Rykaart was in the client send them (Safe N2 Project) their location and the nature of the assistance required, as well as details of their vehicle.
He said: “The details are sent to our control room and we contact the relevant authorities to respond and help the person in need.
Depending on the situation, we will make contact with law enforcement, traffic, the freeway patrol or even various neighbourhood watches to come and assist.”
To be part of the project, a monthly contribution of R35 is payable. Annual memberships are available for R420 for a duration of 13 months. “We would sincerely like to thank all the people from the Safe N2 Project and VIP International Risk Management group who came to my mother’s aid during her time of need,” Karen said. “Without their assistance, things could have gone horribly wrong.”
For more details about the Safe N2 Project, visit www.SafeN2.co.za.
