Johannesburg - A 48-year-old man has been arrested by the Gauteng traffic police high-speed unit for reckless and negligent driving during a special operation conducted on the N4 West towards Rustenburg, the Gauteng community safety department said on Sunday.
The man was arrested on Saturday after he was caught driving a Golf 7 TSI at an average speed of 203km/h in a 120km/h zone. The incident happened as the country marked the closing of the festive season safety campaign which was expected to finish this weekend, the department said in a statement.
The man was formally charged for reckless driving at Akasia police station in Pretoria, with an alternative charge of exceeding the speed limit. At the time of his release, bail had not yet been determined. He was expected to appear in the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court on Monday.
"I am concerned about the number of reckless and negligent driving incidents we continue to experience on our roads. Most fatal crashes are as a result of this unwarranted conduct by our drivers. Statistics indicate that most accidents are caused by motorists driving at excessive speed," Gauteng community safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane said in the statement.
"This new pattern of driving at an extreme speed is uncalled for. Therefore it must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. I call upon our law enforcement agencies to continue to deal decisively with those who do not adhere to the rules of the road, particularly given the high rate of road fatalities that the province continues to experience,” Nkosi-Malobane said.
The department appealed to motorists to prioritise road safety and to "exercise this responsibility to make Gauteng roads safe".