Drunk driving remains a concern during festive season
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.
Road Safety remains a priority throughout the year & especially in the Festive Season.
MMC for @CoJPublicSafety Cllr @David_S_Tembe joined #JMPD officers this afternoon ensuring safety for all road users in Joburg.#JoburgWorks #SaferJoburg #SaferFestiveSeason pic.twitter.com/9D2LYfiuYc
— Jo’burg Metro Police Department – JMPD (@JoburgMPD) December 24, 2021
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
2x motorists arrested by #JMPD #RegionF1 ops officers for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol with a breathalyzer reading of 0,59mg/l & 0,66 which is over the legal limit of 0.24mg/l at Commissioner & End str in Joburg cbd. #JoburgWorks #JoburgRoadSafety #SaferJoburg pic.twitter.com/Piz0hjGWsE
— Jo’burg Metro Police Department – JMPD (@JoburgMPD) December 26, 2021
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”.
Definitely don’t drive in this condition yhu😮 #JoburgRoadSafetly ^NJ pic.twitter.com/lRAKW2Wkrm
— City of Joburg (@CityofJoburgZA) December 23, 2021
-The Citizen
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