Road users ‘don’t give a damn’ as five die in collisions, 24 arrested

SOME motorists still “don’t give a damn” when using the province’s roads and continue to put their lives and those of other road users in jeopardy.

Five people were killed on the province’s roads this weekend, and provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said “this was unacceptable”.

“Five people dead is five people too many and 24 drunken drivers being arrested shows there are still motorists that don’t give a damn.”

Africa said two people died when a bakkie collided with a taxi on the N2 outside Wilderness near George.

Provincial police spokeswoman Bernadine Steyn said the crash occurred yesterday at 1am and police have opened a culpable homicide case.

“Two from the minibus taxi died on the scene and 13 sustained serious injuries, including the driver of the bakkie, and were sent to hospital.”

In another crash, three men were killed when a Golf and a Toyota Tazz collided at the corner of Erica Road and Stellenbosch Arterial in Belhar.

“Apparently the driver of the Tazz was on the wrong side of the roadway when the collision happened,” Africa said.

“The ideal situation would be no fatalities and no drunk driver arrests, then you can say behaviour has been good. But this shows that there are still some that don’t give a damn,” Africa added

Traffic officials also had their hands busy with roadblocks on Friday and Saturday that saw 28 people arrested for various offences.

Africa said 24 of those arrests were for drunken driving with the highest reading recorded at six times over the legal limit. “Two were arrested for false documentation in Caledon and George, another was arrested for bribery and corruption and one truck driver was arrested for overloading his goods vehicle.”

Almost R300 000 in fines were issued at roadblocks over the weekend.