Twenty-one accidents on the province’s roads from Monday December 12 to Sunday December 18 claimed 22 lives, and 82 of the 130 arrests during that period were for drunk driving, according to the provincial Department of Transport and Public Works.
Statistics released by the department on Wednesday show 13 of the fatalities were pedestrians, six were drivers and three were passengers.
Traffic services staged 320 roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints and speed-control operations across the province during the week, stopping 39 283 vehicles and issuing 14 308 fines for various offences.
Forty-two vehicles were impounded and 222 were discontinued for not being roadworthy.
The acting MEC of mobility, Dr Ivan Meyer, said: “While I am grateful to our provincial traffic officers for arresting a number of drunk drivers, that very number is concerning. It is unacceptable that a small number of irresponsible drivers are compromising road safety for all road users.”
Pedestrians were almost always killed in collisions with vehicles travelling faster than 60km/ hour, he said.
“I urge all motorists to adhere to the speed limit, ensure that all vehicle occupants are wearing their safety belts, take regular rest stops every 200km or two hours, and slow down when there are pedestrians at the side of the road. Keep yourself and others safe,” said Dr Meyer.
