Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, together with Eastern Cape Transport MEC, Xolile Nqatha, will today lead traffic law enforcement activations in Mthatha.
The aim of the operations is to check the fitness of drivers and roadworthiness of vehicles on the N2 in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.
The operations, which are coordinated by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), are intended to improve safety and ensure compliance with the law by road users.
Already, more than 4160 motorists have been arrested for drunken driving, while others have been detained for producing false documents and driving public transport without valid documents.
Provincial, metro and municipal traffic authorities have been given instructions to be strict with law enforcement.
Last year’s statistics showed that road traffic crashes decreased during the six weeks of the festive season, from the previous year, dropping by 7% from 1395 crashes to 1299. On the other hand, fatalities decreased from 1808 to 1560.
‘Everyone is call
ed upon to put shoulders to the wheel to ensure a better outcome this season and throughout our 365 Day Road Safety Campaign. It is against this backdrop that we will be intensifying our efforts and interventions in the five provinces that contribute more than 80% of road crashes and fatalities,’ the Minister said last week.
Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga will receive focused attention this year with nighttime deployment of traffic officers and road safety activations that are intended to improve pedestrian safety.
Source: South African Government News Agency