Road carnage on downward trend

Traffic authorities were confident road fatalities had gone down during special operations over the Easter Weekend, particularly on the often accident-prone stretch of the N1 through Kranskop.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has reported that upwards of 500 motorists were arrested over various offences, among these drunken driving and speeding.

There was the anticipated bumper-to-bumper snarl-ups on the R101 between Modimolle and Bela-Bela, particularly on Monday 22 April.

Of the 549 motorists nabbed by the joint traffic and police operations, 312 were arrested for drunken driving.

The highest speed recorded was on the N14 in Gauteng, where a motorist was detained for travelling at 196 km an hour.

The RTMC says around 79 roadblocks on different routes were staged and 65 000 traffic fines were issued.

Most of the fines, they say, were for speeding, driving without a valid licence and failure to wear safety belts, and also driving un-roadworthy vehicles.

— The BEAT