Five killed on Western Cape roads over the weekend

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

Provincial traffic officers arrested 20 motorists for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol on 16 and 17 September 2016.

• Five were arrested in the Caledon service area, 
• three in George, 
• three in Vredenburg, 
• two in Brackenfell, 
• two in Swellendam, 
• one in Laingsburg, 
• one in Somerset West, 
• one in Vredendal, 
• one in Mossel Bay, and
• one in Worcester.

Four other arrests were made:

• one in connection with false documentation in Laingsburg, 
• one for excessive speed in Beaufort West, 
• one in connection with a stolen vehicle in Beaufort West, and
• one drunken pedestrian in Swellendam.

Breath testing was performed on 1 383 drivers at 23 alcohol blitz roadblocks across the province. The highest breath alcohol reading was recorded in the Mossel Bay service area. At 1.00 mg of alcohol/ 1 000 ml of breath, this is four times the legal limit of 0.24 mg/ 1 000 ml.

A total of 2 561 vehicles were screened for speeding and 352 speeding offences were recorded. Fines in the amount of R226 150 were issued for a variety of reasons, ranging from driver offences to vehicle fitness violations.

Highest speeds recorded

• 172 km/h in a 120 km/h zone in the Beaufort West service area, 
• 138 km/h in a 100 km/h zone in the Beaufort West service area, and
• 102 km in an 80 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 the 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.