With the help of new technology the Gauteng Traffic Police High Speed unit have been successfully clamping down on speeding road users.
They are urging all motorists to exercise caution, adhere to the rules of the road and to drive at the prescribed speed limit in order to save lives. This comes after the arrest of 70 people for reckless and negligent driving. The arrests were made during the high-speed operations that have been conducted along the major routes of Gauteng since the beginning of September.
New technology like the Moving Violation Recorders (MVR), that record the average speed measured over a minimum of 500 metres, are being used to bring speedsters to book.
These recordings can also be downloaded to be used in investigations and eventually secure prosecution. In a statement released by Sello Maremane, spokesperson for the Gauteng Traffic Police, the highest speed that was recorded recently was on Thursday, 17 September.
A 27-year-old man was caught driving a Mercedes-Benz E 200 at 215km/h in a 120km/h zone on the N1 North freeway at Botha Avenue.
On the same day, a 35-year-old male driver was arrested on the R21 freeway in Irene after being found speeding excessively at 204km/h in a 120km/h zone. The driver claimed he was rushing his manager to a place of work,” read the statement.
Both these drivers were detained at the Lyttelton Police Station and were charged with reckless and negligent driving as well as exceeding the speed limit of 120km/h on a freeway. They have been released on bail of R2 000 and R2 500 respectively and will appear in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court soon.
“Road fatalities are caused by driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless and negligent driving as well as excessive speeding. The Gauteng Traffic Police High Speed Unit will be on high alert by continuing to conduct patrols on Gauteng’s major routes to ensure that motorists adhere to the general speed limit,” said Maremane.
