Traffic officers stopped a total of 140 000 vehicles in December 2020
A motorist was arrested for driving at a speed of about 201km/h in a 120km/h zone. As travel increases, MEC for community safety, security and liaison urges motorists to adhere to road rules and rest every 200 kilometres or two hours.
In a statement issued by the Mpumalanga department of community safety, security and liaison MEC Gabisile Shabalala calls on motorists to use the roads safely.
Traffic volumes are expected to increase today as most people are returning to work on Monday.
According to Shabalala, fatigue causes some of the fatal crashes on Mpumalanga’s roads, hence the recommendation of resting either every two hours or every 200 kilometres.
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She further implores drivers to obey the rules because she believes some of the crashes recorded so far are largely due to motorists who do not pay enough attention to the rules and the prevailing conditions on the road.
“Misdemeanours such as dangerous overtaking, excessive speeding and drinking and driving play a role in causing collision on the road,” the MEC explained.
“We however appreciate all the road users who have used the road safely so far. We know that some lives were lost, but the situation could have been worse was it not for them and our law enforcement officers.”
She further appeals to the law enforcement officers to continue showing zero-tolerance to reckless driver behaviour.
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With regards to Covid-19 regulations, public transport operators are advised to ensure that no passengers without masks are allowed on board.
She commended traffic officers and all other law enforcement officers for the work they have done so far.
The 140 000 vehicles were stopped in various operations and roadblocks. Of these vehicles, nearly 60 000 went through 20 weighbridges across the province to ensure they were loaded accordingly.
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Among these, about 86 people were also arrested for various offences. Drinking and driving accounted for 38 arrests. Traffic officers stopped about 12 people for excessive speeding.
The highest speed recorded was about 201 km/h in a 120 km/h zone on the N4 toll road near Middelburg. The suspect was caught on December 28 and has already appeared in court.
The MEC is still expected to visit operations around the province as part of monitoring the situation on roads.
