Easter deaths on the decline, but…
Speeding and alcohol still problematic.
Roodepoort had a dark start to the Easter weekend with a horrific head-on collision on Nick Toomey Boulevard that left one dead.
A man, believed to have been in his 50s, was killed and three others injured, including two children, when two light motor vehicles collided head-on.
One killed, three injured in head-on collision
On Tuesday Transport Minister Dipuo Peters released the official statistics for Easter 2016. There were 156 fatalities this year compared to the 287 fatalities of last year over the Easter period, which is a 46 per cent decline.
According to Johannesburg Metro Police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar speeding and alcohol remain problematic. Minnaar said numerous road blocks were held. Around 100 drivers were arrested for speeding and nearly 800 for driving under the influence of alcohol. 17 of the arrests were made in Roodepoort (Region C). In one incident a bus driver was doing 104km/h in a 60km zone and another driver was caught doing 173km/h in a 120km zone.
Chris Botha, Netcare 911 spokesperson said “it was better than 2015” and that Netcare 911 only attended to five accidents in which occupants had succumbed to their injuries. He also said they experienced less incidents of drunken driving. Werner Vermaak, ER24 spokesperson confirmed this, saying “overall it was not a bad weekend”. On Monday the volume of traffic on the N3 northbound, from Durban to Johannesburg, peaked at 2 700 vehicles per hour.
Spokespersons for both Roodepoort and Florida Police Stations could not be reached for comment.
Want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us an SMS/ WhatsApp message with your name and cellphone number to 079 414 6709.
Familiarise yourself with our WhatsApp service disclaimer.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites Randfontein Herald, Krugersdorp News and Get It Joburg West Magazine
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
