Thirteen killed on Western Cape roads this weekend

A preliminary report from the Western Cape Department of Health’s Forensic Pathology Services indicates that 13 road users died on the province’s roads over the weekend.

Western Cape Provincial Traffic Services arrested 33 motorists for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol on 27 and 28 May 2016. Six other arrests were made:

• one for bribery in Mossel Bay, 
• one in connection with reckless and negligent driving in Mossel Bay, and
• four in connection with false documentation in Mossel Bay, Brackenfell, Somerset West and Worcester.

Breath testing was performed on 1 366 drivers at 23 alcohol blitz roadblocks across the province. The highest breath alcohol reading was recorded in the Somerset West service area. At 1.13 mg of alcohol/ 1 000 ml of breath, this is four times the legal limit of 0.24 mg/ 1 000 ml.

A total of 5 310 vehicles were screened for speeding and 914 speeding offences were recorded. Fines in the amount of R204 700 were issued for a variety of reasons ranging from driver offences to vehicle fitness violations.

The highest speeds recorded were 172 km/h in a 120 km/h zone on the N1 in the Brackenfell service area; 133 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on the N2 in the Swellendam service area; and 100km/h in an 80 km/h zone on the N2 in the Somerset West service area.

This is an appeal from the Department of Transport and Public Works: never use your cell phone while driving. Distracted driving can be fatal. As the United States National Road Safety Council points out, the ability of a person’s brain to process moving images decreases by 33% when he or she is on the phone. Drivers cannot respond quickly to what is happening on the road when they are distracted. This is true even if they are using a hands-free apparatus. Road crashes can result in serious injuries and death. No phone call or text message is so important that it is worth a human life.

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