Traffic officers hit on drunk drivers
According to statistics, drunk driving was considered one of the major contributors to road crashes in the province.
MBOMBELA – According to statistics, drunk driving was considered one of the major contributors to road crashes in the province.
Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Mr Vusi Shongwe commends the provincial traffic officers for arresting 131 motorists who were driving under the influence of alcohol.
Since the last financial year, the department adopted the National plan to conduct operations that focus only on drunk driving on off peak days of the month.
The department also continues to conduct road regular road safety awareness campaigns throughout the province.
MEC Shongwe says that one other way to deal with lawlessness is for traffic officers not to have mercy towards road offenders.
“We are working very hard towards realizing a point where offenders, especially those who drive under the influence of alcohol could be harshly dealt with or be imprisoned.
We believe that such sentences can serve as a lesson to other drivers and in that way, we could win the fight against road crashes and non compliance with traffic laws,” Shongwe says.
These motorists were arrested during the month of May in operations that took place in the whole province. 32 other motorists were arrested for among others, speeding, excessive overloading of goods and driving with false documentation.
Through Nyamsoro, 492 motorists whom warrants of arrests were executed were forced to pay their outstanding fines on spot.
In the same operations, 863 vehicles with serious and dangerous defects and improper documentation were discontinued while 1 033 were impounded.
Over 22 000 fines were issued for violations such as overtaking on barrier line, traffic signal violation, stopping on a no stop zone, speeding, driving without wearing seatbelt, overloading of goods and passengers, using cellphone while driving and driving a vehicle with defects.
