Eighteen arrested for drinking and driving over the weekend

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

Provincial traffic officers arrested 18 motorists for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol on 9 and 10 September 2016.

• Four were arrested in the George service area,
• three in Somerset West,
• three in Caledon,
• three in Knysna,
• two in Vredendal,
• two in Worcester, and
• one in Swellendam.

Three other arrests were made:

• two for reckless and negligent driving in Somerset West, and
• one for excessive speed in Beaufort West.

Breath testing was performed on 1 327 drivers at 24 alcohol blitz roadblocks across the province. The highest breath alcohol reading was recorded in the Knysna service area. At 1.47 mg of alcohol/ 1 000 ml of breath, this is six times the legal limit of 0.24 mg/ 1 000 ml.

A total of 7 203 vehicles were screened for speeding and 595 speeding offences were recorded. Fines in the amount of R207 700 were issued for a variety of reasons, ranging from driver offences to vehicle fitness violations.

Highest speeds recorded

• 168 km/h in a 120 km/h zone in the Beaufort West service area, and
• 144 in a 100 km/h zone in the Worcester 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.