Johannesburg -
The Department of Transport has again warned it will target errant drivers as the festive period reaches its peak.
Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters said her department was worried about the lives of innocent people being lost owing to actions of inconsiderate drivers.
The department would mostly target impaired drivers: alcohol and drug abuse, dangerous driving, excessive speed, dangerous overtaking and other road violations.
It will also target public transport and ensure proper load management, the safety of passengers and vehicle fitness.
“We will zoom in on problematic areas that result in massive road carnages,” the minister said.
She said although her department would do its best to ensure safety, it could not force people to take decisions for their personal safety and that of others. “If the people do not behave responsibly on the roads then the battle will never be won.
“We need to make a personal contribution towards saving lives this festive season by pledging to obey all traffic rules and regulations and thereby taking personal responsibility of our safety on the roads,” Peters said.
In 2012 around Easter, the death toll dropped significantly compared to the previous year. It decreased from 300 in the 2011 festive season period to just more than 150 the following year around the Easter holidays.
It was discovered that many people behaved on the roads except for a few careless and negligent drivers who turned out to be troublemakers.
More than 400 people were arrested for drunk driving during that period.
According to reports just more than 30 people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot when they saw traffic officials.
This showed these people knew they were clearly in the wrong and knew they were going to end up behind bars, the minister said.
As she made her statement, it was reported on Tuesday that six people died in a head-on collision on the N1 south near Ysterberg, Limpopo.
All six, travelling in two cars, died on the scene, Netcare 911 spokeswoman Santi Steinmann said. In Joburg, metro police reported that a pedestrian was killed on the M1 south in an accident involving a police car on Tuesday.
A bakkie crashed into a SAPS vehicle that had stopped behind a Toyota Quantum at the Crown interchange at about 6am, Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said.
The SAPS vehicle crashed into the Quantum, which struck a concrete barrier and then hit the pedestrian.
- Pretoria News