Cape Town – The City of Cape Town says the nearly 30 000 speeding offences recorded in the last week are cause for concern going into predicted wet weather this week.
The City’s enforcement agencies made 276 arrests and recorded 57 604 offences in the last week.
More than half of the offences recorded by the traffic service in the past week related to speeding.
Among the speeds recorded: 139 km/h in a 60 km/h zone; 137 km/h in a 70km/h zone and 150 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.
“Odds are that the number of speeding offences are far higher, and there are many competing arguments trying to justify people’s continued disregard for the law. The problem is, going from zero to a hundred in ten seconds doesn’t work quite the same way in the reverse.
“It’s a challenge in dry conditions to slow down or react to hazards on the road – we have a fair bit of rain in the forecast this week, that’ll likely aggravate the situation.
“I appeal to our road users to hit the brakes and consider their actions,” said Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said.
In the past week, traffic officers also arrested 40 motorists – 30 for driving under the influence of alcohol and ten for reckless and negligent driving.
They impounded 236 public transport vehicles and executed 1 912 warrants of arrest.
Metro Police officers made 70 arrests and issued 3 016 fines.
At a roadblock in Khayelitsha on Sunday, officers stopped 45 vehicles and arrested 11 of the drivers for drunken driving. They were aged between 24 and 47.
Cape Times