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Festive season road safety: Drunk driving remains a concern
Traffic police will be out in full force as holiday-goers return from festive season celebrations.
South Africa scored poorly for road traffic deaths attributed to alcohol. Photo: iStock
Thousands of holiday-goers will be returning home after their festive season celebrations, increasing the risks of drunk driving incidents.
Motorists are urged to be cautious on the roads as the wet weather makes it harder to navigate as well.
Festive season road safety tips
‘Take things easy’
Speaking to eNCA’s Gareth Edwards, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said motorists “should take things easy, don’t rush”.
He added: “That’s where it all goes crazy, it’s about celebration. When you drink while driving, you will be arrested”.
Minaar said traffic conditions are expected to peak around midday on Monday, and he expressed concern over the wet and slippery road conditions due to the weather.
Beware slippery road conditions
Minnaar said motorists should maintain a safe following distance. Moreover, “travelling above the speed limit is a problem, especially on wet roads”, he added.
He therefore called on motorists to reduce speed, as it will provide enough time to apply the breaks and control the vehicle if they need to stop suddenly.
Minnaar said police will be out in full force as holiday-goers return from the festive season celebrations, especially long South Africa’s main routes between provinces.
Drunk driving in Gauteng
Drunk driving is of particular concern, and Minnaar said perpetrators will be brought to justice.
On Sunday, authorities set up a roadblock in the Johannesburg CBD where they arrested motorists under the influence of alcohol.
Breathalyser readings of up to 0.66mg/L were recorded, which is over the legal limit of .24mg/L
More than 800 deaths
Sadly, Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula confirmed earlier this week that more than 800 citizens have already lost their lives over the festive season.
He said while officers “continue to punch above their weight in their planning for a safer Festive period”, the responsibility for road safety “rests with all of us as road users”.
Meanwhile, Automobile Association spokesperson Layton Beard said SA’s road system does not support the narrative “that more than 80% of deaths can be blamed on human error” alone.
“There is this continuous narrative that human error is responsible for 80% plus road deaths in South Africa and for us that is a concern because you have got to look at the entire road system – the infrastructure, the road surfaces, the street lights”.
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