Twenty-one arrested for drinking and driving over the weekend

A preliminary report from Western Cape Provincial Traffic Services indicates that three road users died on the province’s roads over the weekend.

Provincial traffic officers arrested 21 motorists for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol on 2 and 3 September 2016.

• Seven were arrested in the Mossel Bay service area, 
• three in George, 
• three in Brackenfell, 
• two in Somerset West, 
• two in Swellendam, 
• two in Knysna, 
• one in Vredendal, and
• one in Oudtshoorn.

In addition, three drivers received notices to appear in court for speeding near Vredenburg.

Breath testing was performed on 1 535 drivers at 20 alcohol blitz roadblocks across the province. The highest breath alcohol reading was recorded in the Swellendam service area. At 1.13 mg of alcohol/ 1 000 ml of breath, this is almost five times the legal limit of 0.24 mg/ 1 000 ml.

A total of 9 701 vehicles were screened for speeding and 609 speeding offences were recorded.

Fines in the amount of R214 250 were issued for a variety of reasons, ranging from driver offences to vehicle fitness violations.

Highest speeds recorded

• 198 km/h in a 120 km/h zone on the R27 West Coast Road, 
• 134 in a 100 km/h zone in the Caledon service area, and
• 113 km/h in an 80 km/h zone in the Vredenburg service area.

Details of road fatalities

Seatbelts are not accessories. They save lives and reduce the risk of injury. Drivers and passengers should always wear seatbelts, even on the shortest journey. Regulations to the National Road Traffic Act provide that children up to the age of three must be in appropriate child restraints when travelling in private vehicles, even on the shortest journey. Wearing a seatbelt could be a difference between life and death. It is not just your own life you are protecting when you do the right thing by buckling up. In a collision, an unrestrained passenger becomes a high-speed projectile, endangering everyone inside the vehicle. It only takes a second to save a life, so buckle up, front and back, on every trip.

Follow Safely Home on Twitter @WCGovSafelyHome under the hashtag #AlwaysBuckleUp.