Johannesburg - Traffic authorities are urging motorists to exercise caution and vigilance as the holiday accident toll exceeded the 1100 mark before the start of the new year.
As thousands of holidaymakers began making their way home this weekend – flooding the national roads as they made their way inland where it was back to work today for many – Gauteng Traffic Department spokeswoman Busaphi Nxumalo said drunk driving, reckless and negligent behaviour, and impatience by drivers were still the major concerns.
Motorists returning to Gauteng from their holiday destinations got a special “welcome home” from traffic authorities at the weekend – numerous roadblocks.
The Department of Transport said that over the next week motorists would experience roadblocks on all major freeways into the cities, and from border posts, and they would be randomly stopped and searched.
It would be helped by the Department of Home Affairs, searching for undocumented immigrants, and the SA Revenue Service as it searched for goods being illegally transported across borders.
High volumes of vehicles were travelling along the N1 and N3 into Gauteng. One of the busiest toll gates on the N1 was the Carousal toll plaza, where 2176 vehicles an hour had passed through by 3pm yesterday. More than 2000 vehicles an hour travelled through the Mooi River toll plaza yesterday, according to a Twitter post by the N3 Toll Concession.
ON-THE-SPOT ARRESTS
Transport Department spokes- man Ishmael Mnisi said that of particular interest would be drunk drivers and speedsters, who were being arrested on the spot.
Drivers of vehicles in which passengers were not wearing seatbelts were being fined, as statistics had shown that the majority of fatalities were passengers, he said.
“We started these blitzes on December 1 and they did not stop – they continued throughout the festive season in holiday spots along the coast. But we have now extended them into the major cities because when motorists reach the city borders after a long trip, they are fatigued and, therefore, tend to disregard traffic laws,” he added.
Joburg metro police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said a 41-year-old motorist driving a BMW X6 had been caught doing 203km/h in an 80km/h zoned street in Blue Hills. He failed to stop, and officers followed him to his home, where he was arrested.
Another BMW driver was caught doing 216km/h on the N1 in Midrand and was arrested.
In Ekurhuleni, there were another 77 arrests for various crimes including possession of hijacked vehicles, dealing in narcotics, as well as a drunk man in police uniform impersonating an officer and soliciting bribes from motorists in Katlehong. Six drug dealers were arrested in Boksburg, Germiston and Brakpan in possession of cat, crystal meth, dagga and mandrax valued at over R200 000.
SERIOUS ACCIDENTS
Meanwhile, a 6-year-old girl was in a critical condition after losing a leg in an accident in which a vehicle rolled on the N1 just outside Bloemfontein yesterday. ER24 spokesman Werner Vermaak said the driver of the car had apparently lost control when swerving to avoid a truck, and the car rolled several times. A woman and a man, believed to be the girl’s parents, were injured.
At a media briefing at the Mariannhill toll plaza outside Durban yesterday, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport Willies Mchunu said 40 more people had died in vehicle crashes since the 289 announced by Minister Dipuo Peters on December 31.
He also said 5500 had been arrested for driving without a valid licence since December 1.
Last year, according to reports, 284 people died on the province’s roads with 1176 killed in crashes nationally. “I predicted we would be bad when I saw the numbers had escalated after the announcement by the minister. But this is very bad,” Mchunu said.
The province had also recorded the highest number of fatalities in the country, he said.
Despite the best efforts of his department and the police, drunk and errant drivers were to blame for the carnage.
Mchunu said the final accident statistics would be tallied after January 15 when the festive season road campaign closed.
“We will assess them properly then,” he added.
TRAVEL TIPS
Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters has appealed to motorists returning home this week to remember that the roads are shared spaces and that people need to be considerate to other road users. To help ensure you get to your destination safely:
- Be well rested before embarking on your trip.
- Drive a roadworthy vehicle.
- Make sure drivers and passengers are buckled up.
- Adhere to the speed limit.
- Take regular breaks.
- Keep a three-second distance from the vehicle in front of you.
The Star