Province records 19 road fatalities in only seven days
Meanwhile, traffic officers managed to stop and assessed 5884 vehicles during the traffic operations that took place across the province. The officers tested 500 drivers for alcohol on the roads. Amongst those tested, 144 drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
MBOMBELA – Mpumalanga community safety, security and liaison MEC, Vusi Shongwe, is concerned about the ongoing negligence and reckless driving that continues to cause deaths on the road.
The MEC is worried about the number of fatalities that were reported recently in the provinces’s roads.
The province recorded 19 road fatalities in only seven days, from April 25 to May 3, all in 61 separate crashes. Most are believed to have been caused by speeding, dangerous overtaking, and drunk driving among others.
One of the crashes occurred on April 25 on the R546 Road between Evander and Embalenhle in Secunda, the vehicle lost control and overturned killing five occupants. On a On April 29 two people died on impact on the R38 Road.
In another incident on May 1 , a pedestrian was killed on the R40 Road at the Badplaas turn off when he was hit by a vehicle.
On May 2, on N4 Toll Road near the Hendrina off-ramp in Middelburg, two people lost their lives after the vehicles they were travelling in side swiped against each other. Four pedestrians died in separate incidences on the R573 road in KwaMhlanga after they were run over by vehicles.
In crashes recorded, 33 people were seriously injured and were rushed to various hospitals across the province.
Meanwhile, traffic officers managed to stop and assessed 5 884 vehicles during the traffic operations that took place across the province. The officers tested 500 drivers for alcohol on the roads. Among those tested, 144 drivers were arrested for driving under the influence.
The total number of arrested drivers for a variety of offences, such as driving without licences and excessive speeding, is 176.
The MEC says that traffic officers must be alert and always maintain visibility while dealing with law-breakers “As much as we try to improve our law-enforcement operations and road safety to prevent road crashes and lawlessness, road users must remain committed to road safety by practicing caution and obeying the rules at all times,” said Shongwe.
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