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 19 motorists for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol on 23 and 24 September 2016.

• Eight were arrested in the George service area,
• three in Mossel Bay,
• two in Somerset West, 
• two in Caledon, 
• one in Brackenfell, 
• one in Knysna,
• one in Vredendal, and
• one in Oudtshoorn.

In addition, a person was arrested for reckless and negligent driving in George.

Breath testing was performed on 1 148 drivers at 26 alcohol blitz roadblocks across the province. The highest breath alcohol reading was recorded in the Somerset West service area. At 0,90 mg of alcohol/ 1 000 ml of breath, this is over three times the legal limit of 0,24 mg/ 1 000 ml.

A total of 11 640 vehicles were screened for speeding and 941 speeding offences were recorded. Fines in the amount of R193 600 were issued for a variety of reasons, ranging from driver offences to vehicle fitness violations.

Highest speeds recorded

• 182 km/h in a 120 km/h zone in the Brackenfell service area, 
• 125 km/h in a 100 km/h zone in the Caledon service area, and
• 104 km in an 80 km/h zone in the Vredenburg 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.