The Safely Home theme for December is Alcohol and Roads Don’t Mix.  This week, 62 motorists were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in the Western Cape.

Consuming alcohol, even in small amounts, and then walking, cycling or driving is very dangerous. Crashes involving drivers and pedestrians under the influence are no accident. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) tests on the bodies of people killed in road crashes show that, whether you are a pedestrian, cyclist or driver, your risk of dying in a road crash is higher if you have been drinking.

Alcohol impairs processes critical to safe road use, such as vision and reaction time, is also associated with poor judgement and is often linked to other high-risk road use behaviours such as speeding or not using seatbelts.

Western Cape Provincial Traffic Services implemented a total of 212 integrated roadblocks, vehicle check point and speed control operations across the province in the period under review, and 29 588 vehicles were stopped and checked. A total of 9 556 fines were issued for various traffic violations ranging from driver to vehicle fitness.

A total of 306 speeding offences were recorded. If you are a motorist, show consideration for pedestrians wherever they are. Pedestrians are almost always killed in collisions with vehicles travelling faster than 60km/ hour. Slowing down will give you more time to avoid to pedestrians on the road.

If you are travelling more slowly and you collide with a pedestrian, the pedestrian is more likely to survive. Be particularly careful when you come across child pedestrians. They may behave unpredictably, and may struggle to understand how quickly a vehicle is moving. Because children are short, in a collision, they are likely to be hit in the head and chest, and are therefore more likely to be killed.

The highest speeds recorded this week were as follows:

• 160 km/h in a 120 km/h zone
• 134 km/h in a 100 km/h zone
• 109 km/h in an 80 km/h zone
• 104 km/h in a 60 km/h zone
• 74 km/h in a 40 km/h zone

Thirty vehicles were impounded and 96 were discontinued for unroadworthiness. A total of 81 arrests were made for various offences under the National Road Traffic Act and Criminal Procedure Act.

• 62 x driving under the influence of alcohol.
• 2 x reckless and negligent driving.
• 3 x goods overloading.
• 8 x possession of fraudulent documentation.
• 2 x bribery.
• 1 x defeating the ends of justice.
• 1 x impersonating an authorised officer.
• 1 x hijacking.
• 1 x threatening/ suggesting use of violence against a traffic officer.

Fatalities recorded between 28 November to 4 December 2022

A total of 25 crashes occurred in the reporting period, and 26 fatalities were recorded:

• 4 x drivers.
• 6 x passengers.
• 16 x pedestrians.

#BoozeFreeRoads. Alcohol and roads don’t mix.

Media Queries:           

Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka

Spokesperson for Minister Daylin Mitchell

Cell: 082 953 0026

Email: Ntomboxolo.Makoba-Somdaka@westerncape.gov.za