The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has warned South Africans attending year-end parties and celebrations to keep it away from the roads as law enforcement operations will be sharpened up over the coming weeks.
This comes after the RTMC saw a spike in lawless behaviour on the roads this past weekend.
“Party goers are advised to prioritise their own safety and avoid walking in public areas or driving while under the influence of alcohol,” said the entity.
“Law enforcement operations are being scaled up across the country to deal with drunken driving, reckless and negligent driving, as well as pedestrian safety.”
These operations will not just be limited to freeways and highways, but will also take place within suburbs and townships to improve safety and ensure compliance with the law.
74,026 cars inspected
Over the weekend of 1-3 December, traffic officers pulled over and checked 74,026 vehicles around the country for compliance and in the process issued 12,229 traffic fines for speeding, driving without the use of a safety belt, driving without a licence, driving unlicenced vehicles, and driving vehicles with worn out tyres, among other breaches.
Additionally, a total of 308 drivers were arrested for offences including drunken driving, excessive speeding, as well as reckless and negligent driving.
The worst speedster was caught doing 184km/h in a 120km/h zone on the N4 near Middelburg, Mpumalanga.
The worst drunk driving incident was recorded in Gauteng where a motorist registered a breath-alcohol concentration of 1.72mg of alcohol per 1,000ml of breath, which is seven times above the legal limit of 0.24mg per 1,000ml.
The Department of Transport, together with provincial and municipal traffic departments, have identified the following routes as high-risk:
- Francie Van Zyl Road – Parow, Western Cape
- M35 – Folweni, Kwazulu Natal
- N1 – Laingsburg, Western Cape
- N1 – Makhado, in Limpopo
- N1 – Mokopane, Limpopo
- N1 – Musina, Limpopo
- N1 – Naboomspruit, Limpopo
- N2 – Idutywa, Eastern Cape
- N2 – Libode, Eastern Cape
- N2 – Mount Ayliff, Eastern Cape
- N2 – Mount Frere, Eastern Cape
- N2 – Mthatha, Eastern Cape
- N2 – Pongola, KwaZulu Natal
- N2 – Port Shepstone, KwaZulu Natal
- N3 – Harrismith, Free State
- N4 – Middelburg, Mpumalanga
- N4 – Nelspruit, Mpumalanga
- R61 – Libode, Eastern Cape
- R61 – Mbizana, Eastern Cape
- R61 – Mthatha, Eastern Cape
- R61 – Mzamba, Eastern Cape
- R71 – Mankweng, Limpopo
- R573 (Moloto Road) – Mpumalanga
- Ventersdorp Road – North West
Heightened operations are to be undertaken on these roads between Thursdays and Mondays, and provincial, metro, and municipal traffic authorities have been given instructions to be strict with applying the law, said the RTMC.
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