Seven fatalities on Western Cape roads

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

Provincial traffic officers arrested 13 motorists for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol on 26 and 27 May 2017.

• Six were arrested in the Caledon service area, 
• three in Brackenfell, 
• two in Knynsa, 
• one in George, and
• one in Mossel Bay.

Breath testing was performed on 1 544 drivers at 24 alcohol blitz roadblocks across the province. The highest breath alcohol reading was recorded in the Swellendam service area. At 1,94 mg of alcohol/ 1 000 ml of breath, this is almost four times the legal limit of 0,24 mg/ 1 000 ml.

Two other persons were arrested:

• One for excessive speeding in Vredenburg, and
• One for bribery in Brackenfell.

A total of 110 speeding offences were recorded. A total of 204 fines in the amount of R279 500 were issued for a variety of reasons, ranging from driver offences to vehicle fitness violations.

Highest speeds

• 158 km/h in a 120 km/h zone in the Beaufort West service area, and
• 102 km/h in an 80 km/h zone in the Laingsburg service area.

Details of road fatalities

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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