Cape Town - Western Cape drivers are racking up speeding fines at breakneck speed and Mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell wants to put the brakes on it.
Mitchell said traffic officials recorded about 404 speeding offences last week, almost double the figure of speeding offences recorded by the Province in the previous week.
Mitchell said that speeding was a serious problem as it could lead to dire consequences, not only for motorists but other road users as well.
“The faster you drive, the less time you have to respond to an emergency and the more space you need to stop to avoid a crash. Speeding is irresponsible and dangerous. I want to send a stern warning to all drivers who are speeding and those who do not comply with the rules of the road.
“Some of the highest speeds officials recorded were motorists driving 167km/h in a 120km/h zone, 161km/h in a 100km/h zone, 124km/h in an 80km/h zone, and 94km/h in a 60km/h zone. I want to caution drivers and all road users to keep within the speed limit.”
Aside from cautioning motorists to be considerate of each other, Mitchell reminded drivers to also look out for pedestrians. Over the past few weeks, pedestrians accounted for the majority of road accidents in the Western Cape, with the directorate’s recording an alarming increase weekly.
Just this week officials recorded 29 crashes which resulted in 30 fatalities. Of the 30 fatalities, 14 pedestrians died in crashes.
“If you are a motorist, you should show consideration for pedestrians. Pedestrians are almost always killed in collisions with vehicles travelling more than 60km/h. Slowing down will give you more time to avoid pedestrians on the road.
“If you are driving more slowly and you collide with a pedestrian, the pedestrian is more likely to survive. I urge everyone to play a role in improving road safety for pedestrians, cyclists, passengers and drivers. I encourage motorists to be vigilant on the road and pedestrians to make themselves visible to motorists, especially at night and in the early morning,” Mitchell said.
Meanwhile, out of its weekly Provincial Traffic Services Operation implemented across the province, traffic officials conducted 175 integrated roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints and speed control operations.
Daylin’s spokesperson, Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka, said 30 452 vehicles were stopped and checked.
“Officials issued 7 987 fines for various traffic violations, ranging from driver to vehicle fitness.
“Twenty-three vehicles were impounded, and 39 were discontinued for unroadworthiness. Officials also arrested 59 motorists for violating the National Road Traffic Act and Criminal Procedure Act,” she said.