Hundreds of drivers are being caught speeding on one of the Western Cape's most dangerous stretches of road, the notoriously deadly N1.
More than 100 people have been killed in crashes on the province's roads since the beginning of December, and traffic authorities have been hard at work trying to monitor both the roadworthiness of vehicles and the condition of the people driving them.
A Cape Argus team drove from Cape Town to Worcester on the N1 to see how people were handling the journey along one part of the treacherous stretch.
Before even leaving the city limits, the team noticed a motorist driving over a grassy pavement to take the Century City turn off while three others crossed barrier lines to overtake slower drivers or to take an off-ramp at the last moment. Many weren't bothering with indicators when changing lanes.
Traffic officials have blamed driver fatigue for many of the crashes reported this year.
In Worcester, Clement Modise, a petrol attendant at the busy Shell Ultra City on the N1, said taxi drivers normally took several road trips without resting.
“I have seen taxi drivers leaving for the Eastern Cape at 11am and say they would be back the same day,” said Modise.
“Some say they won't sleep, because they would be making extra cash the more trips they make.”
Some motorists, he said, also reeked of alcohol, especially those filling up with fuel at 3am.
A traffic officer parked at the side of the road in Worcester said there had been two accidents on the road on Wednesday - one of them fatal.
“We constantly stop buses and taxis to check for roadworthiness and a valid driving licence.”
Another traffic officer, parked a few kilometres away, said they tested drivers for alcohol, as well as checking whether truck permits were correct and ensuring that people were driving with their seatbelts on.
He said that there were a few accidents in Laingsburg over the long weekend.
Provincial Inspector Elliot Samela, who sat hidden with a speed camera behind a road sign close to the N1 toll plaza, said 528 motorists had driven faster than the 100km/h speed limit on Wednesday. From 8am until 3.40pm, 2900 cars had passed him.
Provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said the highest speed recorded in the Western Cape was 220km/h last week, near Laingsburg.
“The law says if you are over the speed limit by 30km/h in a 60km/h zone or 40km/h over a 120km/h zone you must be arrested,” Africa said.
Eric Eksteen, general manager of the Huguenot Toll Plaza, said their focus was on safety.
“The carnage on our roads is serious. Traffic has been down compared to the same period last year, due to the recession having an impact on motorists.”
Leonard Louw, senior supervisor of operations at the toll plaza, said 6721 trucks and busses passed through the toll gates from midnight to 1.30pm on Wednesday.
He said that the main problems with trucks were either their rear lights were not working or their brake lights weren't working.
“If their lights are faulty they have to pull over and fix them here before they are allowed through.
“We check tyres, lights and basically check to see if the vehicles are roadworthy.”
On Wednesday a truck missing its fuel cap was turned away because it was leaking fuel.
“It was a fire hazard and we could not allow the truck through the toll plaza.”
Louw said a man died when his bakkie overturned after a tyre burst on the N1 on Wednesday.
Aggression also seemed to be a problem for some drivers: on the drive back to Cape Town, one motorist angrily overtook the Cape Argus team, slowed down alongside the car and rolled his window down to swear and point.
Other drivers roared up behind slower vehicles, trying to stay as close as possible in order to make the less speedy drivers move.
Patrick Mata, a petrol attendant at the Engen fuel stop on the N1 in the direction of Cape Town, said he had seen several drunk motorists.
“At the beginning of December there were many guys who would stop to fill up their car, but they would be drunk,” he said.
He said that he had also seen a woman with a baby on her lap sitting in the front passenger seat of a taxi and drinking alcohol. - Cape Argus