Roadhogs stir community outrage
Residents have called for motorists who abuse the emergency lane to be arrested.
THE community has expressed outrage after it was revealed that motorists traveling on the N2 prevented authorities from reaching Sunday’s horrific accident scene by driving in the emergency lane.
Garrith Jamieson, operations director of Rescue Care, said traffic had been severely affected because the emergency lane had been blocked by motorists. Crisis Medical paramedics who also responded to the incident were delayed by 25 minutes, said spokesman, Neil Powell.
Two people were pronounced dead at the scene while Jamieson reported today that a third person had died in hospital. Three other commuters, including a nine-year-old child, were injured in the crash.
“It is often the case on the N2, whenever there is an accident we find motorists abusing the emergency lane,” said Powell.
Outraged residents have since called for authorities to arrest motorists who abuse the emergency lane.
However, Zinhle Mngomezulu of the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI), said authorities were not able to arrest these motorists. Mngomezulu said Metro Police were only able to issue offenders with a fine.
What’s more, she said authorities are often in such a rush to tend to the accident scene and the victims that the offenders are let off with a warning.
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