Committed to safer vehicles and safer journeys

Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW) traffic officials issued fines in the total amount of R76 400 for various infringements during recent public transport compliance and fatigue management sticker operations. The operations took place at Sonstraal near the Huguenot Tunnel, and at the Joostenberg Vlakte weighbridge.

Several commuters were left stranded after a vehicle was impounded for being unlicensed and/ or unroadworthy, and nine vehicles were suspended until they have been certified as roadworthy and the owners have renewed their vehicle licences. A total of 77 vehicles met the minimum roadworthy standards and received stickers to show they were roadworthy at the time the check was performed.

DTPW’s public transport compliance and fatigue management sticker project runs at least twice a year, during Easter and the December-January holiday season. Drivers of vehicles in good order get stickers to display on their windscreens. This facilitates the work of traffic officers doing routine vehicle checks en route.

Officers also carried out breath alcohol checks and arrested a driver for being over the legal limit. The DTPW mobile weighbridge detected 21 public transport vehicle offences ranging from overloading to a variety of technical defects that rendered vehicles unroadworthy. This weighbridge is fitted with multiple cameras and boasts technology that can detect a range of vehicle defects. The printout of the roadworthy test results can be used as evidence in court.

Breakdown of public transport sticker operations

Traffic law enforcement officers will be on duty along Western Cape roads to help ensure that drivers wear seatbelts and do not overload their vehicles, speed, drink and drive, or drive when they are tired. We urge public transport operators to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy and that they have the necessary documentation to transport paying passengers. While there is often a negative impact on commuters when traffic officers suspend or impound vehicles, safety must always come first. We ask drivers to be patient and to overtake only when it is safe to do so. Our commitment is to help road users and commuters travel safely to their destinations during the busy period in December and January.

DTPW will conduct its next public transport sticker operation at the various checkpoints on 23 December 2016 from 18:00. 

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