Johannesburg - No less than 4163 drivers were arrested over the Easter weekend for exceeding the speed limit, either by more than 30km/h in an urban area or by more than 40km/h on a freeway or national road, including one who was clocked at 212km/h on the N1 in the Free State.
Road Traffic Management Corporation spokesman Simon Zwane said a further 1946 drivers were fined for driving unlicensed vehicles, 1909 for driving without licences, 1393 for driving without seat belts and 926 for driving vehicles with worn tyres.
“This is irresponsible behaviour,” Zwane said. “We have also seen that road accidents involved a lot of casualties. Accidents also occurred on roads that are not usually busy and involved a lot of pedestrians.”
About 250 drivers were arrested for drunk driving in Johannesburg, and law enforcement agencies in Gauteng also said they noted with concern the growing number of road fatalities involving pedestrians during the Easter weekend.
Preliminary information showed that 70 percent of the fatalities involved pedestrians, especially in municipal areas, mostly as the result of walking in the streets late at night after drinking.
4632 speed fines in Tshwane
In Tshwane alone, 64 people were arrested for drunk driving, at least 40 drunk pedestrians were arrested, 4632 speeding notices and 2843 other traffic fines were issued. Three stolen vehicles and another that had been hijacked were recovered, and one suspect arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle.
Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said preliminary reports indicated that driving at high speed, and unlicensed or unroadworthy vehicles were the most prevalent offences over the past four days.
Carnage in KZN
On Thursday, 14 people died in a horror crash on the R33 between Greytown and Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal, and on Friday one person died and 16 others were injured in a crash between a car and a taxi on the R34 between Vryheid and Melmoth, according to EMS spokesman Rob McKenzie.
Six people were killed and seven more injured when a bakkie ploughed into a group of pedestrians on Edendale Road in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, and another, the driver of the bakkie, died after allegedly being assaulted by community members.
ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak said: “It is understood from bystanders that members of the community allegedly stabbed the driver to death shortly after the incident. Seven others were treated on the scene for injuries ranging from moderate to serious, then taken to a nearby hospital for further medical care.”