‘My wife is pregnant’ – One of the many excuses given by speeding motorists

My shop is burning, my wife is pregnant, are one of the many excuses given to law enforcement officers by speeding motorists.

This is according to spokesperson for Gauteng Traffic Police, Obed Sibasa.

Speaking to The Citizen on Saturday, Sibasa said speeding has remained one of the biggest contributing factors leading to road crashes during the current festive season.

“Others would even go as far as saying their mother is sick and are therefore rushing them to hospital.

“We might not have all the speeding figures readily available, but I have no doubt that there are records of people who were caught driving around 200km/h,” said Sibasa.

He said most roads in Gauteng have been extra busy since the start of the festive season.

“There are always a lot of activities in townships during this time of year where people tend to break the rules by abusing alcohol and drinking in public.

“In the past three weeks, 5 arrests for drunk driving were made in the western corridor which includes areas such as Randfontein, Kagiso and Magaliesburg,” Sibasa said.

So far, more than 3 000 people have been arrested for speeding and other offenses, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).

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Pedestrians also victims

Sibasa said the rate at which pedestrians were also dying, remains a huge worrying issue.

“Just recently along the busy N12 Eldorado Park, a 16-year-old was bumped and died on the scene… so out of 10 fatal crashes on our roads, six of them involve pedestrians,” Sibasa said.

He said a number of arrests have also been happening, saying in the central corridor, six drunk drivers were arrested in less than 30 minutes.

With the heavy rain continuing in various parts of the country, Sibasa called on motorists to exercise extra caution and avoid speeding.

Meanwhile, some of the major roads that are expected to continue being busy outside of Gauteng, include the N3, N1 and the N4.

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