Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mr Jackie Macie, has noted several arrests made by traffic law enforcement since the beginning of the Easter long weekend in the province. These arrests include cases of excessive speeding and suspected driving under the influence of alcohol.
Six motorists were arrested on the N3 toll road between Grootvlei and Heidelberg for excessive speeding and were charged with reckless and negligent driving after exceeding the 120 km/h speed limit by more than 40 km/h.
The highest speed recorded was 200 km/h. Another speeding motorist was also caught on the N4 toll road near Woestalleen towards Middelburg on Saturday. One driver was arrested for driving 161 km/h in a 120 km/h zone. The seven suspects, all males, have been released on R2 000 bail each.
An overnight alcohol blitz conducted on Saturday in the Nkangala and Gert Sibande regions led to the arrest of about 28 people for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. The Nkangala and Gert Sibande regions recorded 22 and six such cases, respectively.
Traffic law enforcement officers, working with various stakeholders, remain on high alert in anticipation of surges in vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Sunday as many people return to work, with schools reopening on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, traffic law enforcement officers have stopped more than 3 000 vehicles in various operations across the province since Thursday. Nearly 500 summonses were issued to motorists for various moving traffic violations and defects detected on their vehicles.
The MEC has cautioned motorists to refrain from excessive speeding, adding that most of the deadly crashes reported are attributable to speed. He also called on traffic law enforcement to continue clamping down on bad driver behaviour.
“We are urging motorists to be vigilant as they take to the road today and tomorrow. Those travelling long distances should rest every two hours or every 200 km of driving. Rules must be fully complied with as this greatly enhances road safety,” said MEC Macie.
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Issued by Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison