Five fatalities on Western Cape roads

Three pedestrians and two drivers lost their lives in five separate incidents, according to a preliminary report from Western Cape Provincial Traffic Services.

A total of 30 motorists were arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol over the weekend.

• Nine motorists were arrested in the Worcester service area, 
• five in Caledon, 
• four in George, 
• three in Knysna, 
• three in Mossel Bay, 
• two in Brackenfell, 
• two in Vredendal, 
• one in Swellendam, and
• one in Somerset West.

In addition, traffic officers made three arrests: one for reckless and negligent driving in Knysna; one for threatening an official in Oudtshoorn; and one for possession of dagga in Swellendam.

Breath testing was performed on 1 700 drivers at 25 alcohol blitz roadblocks across the province. The highest breath alcohol reading was recorded in the Worcester service area. At 1,28 mg of alcohol/ 1 000 ml of breath, this is over five times the legal limit of 0,24 mg/ 1 000 ml.

A total of 88 speeding offences were recorded and 199 fines in the amount of R283 950 were issued for a variety of reasons, ranging from driver offences to vehicle fitness violations.

Three speedsters were arrested in Beaufort West, Swellendam and Vredenburg.

Highest speeds

• 178 km/h in a 120 km/h zone in the Beaufort West service area, and
• 153 km/h in a 100 km/h zone in the Swellendam service area.

This past weekend also saw the pilot phase of the Random Breath Testing (RBT) project getting off the ground in the Caledon service area. On Saturday, officers on patrol gave chase after a person suspected of driving under the influence refused to stop at a roadblock. This driver drove into a stationary traffic vehicle in Hermanus. The person was not in possession of a driver’s licence and was five times over the legal limit.

A driver of a minibus taxi transporting foreign students was fined for being overloaded. The matter was also reported to the Provincial Regulatory Entity for further investigation. Another minibus taxi vehicle was suspended after RBT officers found a fake foreign licence and an expired vehicle disk from 2015. 

Details of road fatalities

Drivers under the influence put their own lives and those of their passengers in danger, as well as the lives of other road users. If you’re drinking, don’t drive or walk. Help us create booze-free roads. If you have friends or family who still drive under the influence, speak to them before they get into trouble with the law.

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