A preliminary report from Western Cape Provincial Traffic Services indicates that two people died on the province’s roads over the weekend.
Provincial traffic officers arrested 27 motorists for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol on 6 and 7 May 2017.
Breath testing was performed on 1 955 drivers at 25 alcohol blitz roadblocks across the province. The highest breath alcohol reading was recorded in the Swellendam service area. At 1,06 mg of alcohol/ 1 000 ml of breath, this is over four times the legal limit of 0,24 mg/ 1 000 ml.
Three other persons were arrested:
A total of 151 speeding offences were recorded. A total of 213 fines in the amount of R297 750 were issued for a variety of reasons, ranging from driver offences to vehicle fitness violations.
Date | Location of crash | Fatalities |
Saturday, 6 May 2017 | N7 between Morningstar and M19 | 1 passenger |
Saturday, 6 May 2017 | Between Mamre and R27 | 1 driver |
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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