MEDIA RELEASE BY DAYLIN MITCHELL,

WESTERN CAPE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND PUBLIC WORKS

21 December 2021 

                                               

Results of Provincial Traffic Services traffic operations

13 to 19 December 2021

 

Traffic officers from my Department arrested 20 people for driving under the influence of alcohol over the last week.

 

I urge you not to drink and drive! Even small amounts of alcohol affect your judgement. If you are caught driving under the influence, you could land up with a criminal record. Let’s all aim for #BoozeFreeRoads this festive season, and at every other time of the year.

 

Officers from Western Cape Provincial Traffic Services are already out in force on our roads and are working with officials from other agencies to clamp down on unsafe vehicles and unsafe driving.

 

My Department implemented a total of 95 integrated roadblocks, vehicle check point and speed control operations across the province in the week of 13 to 19 December 2021, and 32 240 vehicles were stopped and checked. A total of 324 speeding offences were recorded and 9 372 fines were issued for various traffic violations ranging from driver to vehicle fitness in the total amount of R10 474 300. Fifty-two vehicles were impounded and 117 were discontinued for unroadworthiness.

 

I want to thank all  law abiding road users who do not speed, do not drink and drive, who buckle up and ensure that their passengers are buckled up, who ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy and who rest on their journeys. You are by far the majority. We will continue to clamp down on those in the wrong. I want to thank every one of our traffic law enforcement officers who are sacrificing time with their families to live their calling to make our roads safer and serve the people of the province. You are making a difference.

 

Don’t drink and walk. Find a safer way to get home. Of the pedestrians who die in crashes and are tested for alcohol, over half have been drinking and about 40% of those are drunk.

 

More than three times as many pedestrians die in crashes on Saturdays than on Wednesdays. Young men between the ages of 20 and 29 years are most vulnerable.

 

Think carefully about the value of your own life and the lives of others. If you go out and will be drinking, it is better not to drive at all. Rather find a safer way to get to the place you want to visit, and to get home. Use a taxi or an e-hailing vehicle to keep yourself and others safe.

 

Driving when you have been drinking is dangerous, regardless of how much, or how little, you drink. Alcohol slows down your ability to respond in an emergency. You are likely to drive faster than you usually do, and less carefully. An error of judgement might mean killing or injuring someone on the road, in another vehicle, or in your own vehicle. The mistake you make in a moment could lead to a lifetime of regret.

 

The consequences of irresponsible driving behaviour may be with you for the rest of your life. If you have a criminal record for driving under the influence, you may lose a job and struggle to get another one. If you are  injured, it could affect your ability to make a living and support your dependants. If you kill or injure another breadwinner, that person’s dependants could suffer life-long consequences.

 

The highest speeds recorded were as follows:

• 161 km/h in a 120 km/h zone
• 145 km/h in a 100 km/h zone
• 104 km/h in a 80 km/h zone
• 109 km/h in a 70 km/h zone
• 104 km/h in a 60 km/h zone
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Disaster Management Act

A total of two charges were laid under the Disaster Management Act and fines to the total value of R13 000 were issued.

 

National Road Traffic Act, Criminal Procedure Act, and Disaster Management Act regulations

A total of 45 arrests were made for the following offences:

• 20 x driving under the influence of alcohol
• 2 x speeding
• 6 x reckless and negligent driving
• 9 x possession of fraudulent documentation
• 1 x pedestrian arrest (source of danger)
• 3 x bribery
• 1 x failure to furnish information
• 1 x possession of illegal substance (dagga)
• 1 x possession of illegal substance (tik)
• 1 x no engine/ chassis number.
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Fatalities recorded between 13 and 19 December 2021

A total of 29 crashes occurred in the reporting period, and 36 fatalities were recorded:

• 1 x cyclist
• 8 x drivers
• 2 x motorcyclist
• 9 x passengers
• 16 x pedestrians.
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If you drive a public transport vehicle, be extra careful throughout your journey. Never drink and drive. Make sure your vehicle is roadworthy and that your operating licence is in order.

 

Ensure that you and all occupants are wearing a mask over your  noses and mouths, and are sanitising regularly. Stay off the road during the curfew hours between 00:00 and 04:00.

 

Observe passenger limits – 100% of licensed carrying capacity for journeys shorter than 200 km, and 70% of carrying capacity for journeys of more than 200 km. Make sure the windows are always at least 5 cm open on both sides of your vehicle.

 

Never drive or walk when you have been drinking. #BoozeFreeRoads

 

Attention broadcasters: English and Afrikaans sound clip is attached.

Media Queries:   

           

Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka

Spokesperson for Minister Daylin Mitchell

Cell: 082 953 0026

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