Seven killed on Western Cape roads this weekend | Western Cape Government

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Seven killed on Western Cape roads this weekend

18 September 2017

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

A total of 31 motorists were arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol over the weekend.

  • Six motorists were arrested in the Somerset West service area, 
  • five in Beaufort West, 
  • five in George, 
  • three in Brackenfell, 
  • three in Vredenburg, 
  • three in Caledon, 
  • three in Worcester, 
  • two in Swellendam, and
  • one in Oudtshoorn.

In addition, traffic officers arrested five drivers for excessive speeding:

  • four on the N1 near Beaufort West, and
  • one on the R45 near Hopefield.

Breath testing was performed on 1 354 drivers at 25 alcohol blitz roadblocks across the province. The highest breath alcohol reading was recorded in the George service area. At 1,10 mg of alcohol/ 1 000 ml of breath, this is over four times the legal limit of 0,24 mg/ 1 000 ml.

A total of 146 speeding offences were recorded and 226 fines in the total amount of R339 800 were issued for a variety of reasons, ranging from driver offences to vehicle fitness violations.

Highest speeds recorded

  • 185 km/h in a 120 km/h zone in the Beaufort West service area, and
  • 142 km/h in a 100 km/h zone in the Beaufort West service area.

Details of road fatalities

Date Location of crash Fatalities
Friday, 15 September 2017 N1 Okavango 1 driver
Friday, 15 September 2017 R328 Oudtshoorn/ Mossel Bay 1 passenger
Saturday, 16 September 2017 R328 Oudtshoorn/ Mossel Bay 3 passengers
Saturday, 16 September 2017 N1 Touws River 1 driver
Sunday, 17 September 2017 N7 Atlantis 1 driver

 

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.

Join Safely Home on Twitter @WCGovSafelyHome under the hashtag #AlwaysBuckleUp

Media Enquiries: 

Kenny Africa
Provincial Traffic Chief
Department of Transport and Public Works
Tel: 021 483 5114/ 7823
Cell: 084 562 4574
Email: Kenneth.Africa@westerncape.gov.za

Jacques Mostert
Provincial Traffic Spokesperson
Department of Transport and Public Works
Tel: 021 483 7897
Cell: 082 820 0621
Email: Jacques.Mostert2@westerncape.gov.za