18 deaths on Mpumalanga roads with more than half in Nkangala region
More than 100 people were arrested for alleged drinking and driving since Thursday in Mpumalanga.
Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mr Jackie Macie has once again reminded motorists who will be travelling back after the Easter long weekend to drive with caution amid rising numbers of fatalities in the province since Thursday.
The province has recorded about 18 deaths in various crashes that occurred between 17 and 19 April. More than half of these fatalities were reported in the Nkangala District.
Six people were killed in a head-on collision on the N4 toll road between Machadodorp and Belfast at Berg-en-Dal on Thursday. Five people died on the scene, while the sixth person succumbed while receiving treatment at the hospital.
Also read: GRAPHIC: Shocking pictures of the N4 crash
Two people also lost their lives and 13 others were injured when the taxi that they were travelling in overturned after its driver lost control on the N4 toll road near Middelburg.
Three other lives were claimed on the R35 between Bethal and Middelburg in a collision between a multipurpose vehicle (MPV) and an articulated truck.
Macie says most of these deadly collisions could have been avoided had motorists heeded calls to adhere to the rules. He believes that if all road users can prioritise their own safety and that of others, deadly crashes would be drastically reduced.
He is further calling on public transport operators to ensure the roadworthiness of their vehicles and also rest every two hours or 200 kilometres of being behind the steering wheel.
“We are pleading with every driver to ensure that they use the road cautiously. People must stop overtaking dangerously and driving with excessive speed so that they can safely reach their destinations.”
• Traffic law enforcement officers have stopped and checked over 13 500 vehicles since Thursday in various ongoing Easter operations across the province.
0ver 5 000 vehicles went through various weighbridges. About 2 700 summonses were issued to motorists for various offences.
Macie also lauds the arrest of more than 100 suspects for drinking and driving. He says it was important to reign in on drinking and driving, considering the devasting consequences road crashes bring to many families.
He also urges law enforcement officers to remain relentless in their quest to enforce the law and bring reckless and negligent drivers to book.
