Six killed on Western Cape roads

A preliminary report from Western Cape Provincial Traffic Services indicates that six people died on the province’s roads over the weekend. This includes two pedestrians who were fatally wounded in apparent hit-and-run incidents.

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

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

Breath testing was performed on 1 707 drivers at 26 alcohol blitz roadblocks across the province. The highest breath alcohol reading was recorded in the Swellendam service area. At 1,40 mg of alcohol/ 1 000 ml of breath, this is almost six times the legal limit of 0,24 mg/ 1 000 ml.

A total of 357 speeding offences were recorded and 225 fines in the total amount of R298 850 were issued for a variety of reasons, ranging from driver offences to vehicle fitness violations.

Highest speeds

• 164 km/h in a 120 km/h zone in the Brackenfell service area, and
• 128 km/h in a 100 km/h zone in the Swellendam service area.

Details of road fatalities

Speeding plays a causal and aggravating role in many fatal crashes on Western Cape roads. We encourage motorists to slow down. This will greatly reduce the likelihood of a horrific crash that could results in serious injuries or death. We will continue to address speeding through awareness campaigns, enforcement activities, and the Average Speed Over Distance (ASOD) camera enforcement network.

Join Safely Home on Twitter @WCGovSafelyHome under the hashtag #SpeedKillsFacts.