Traffic authorities clamp down on offenders

By Nadia Samie
28 November 2006

The National Department of Transport’s Arrive Alive campaign will be rolled out, throughout the country, by the end of this week.

With schools in the Western Cape closing for the December holidays’ on Friday, an influx of traffic is expected on the province’s roads as holiday-makers converge on the Mother City.

Traffic authorities are taking a particularly hard stance on drunk-drivers and traffic offenders this year. A recent judgment by the Cape High Court has opened the door for the Asset Forfeiture Unit to confiscate the cars of drunken drivers and speedsters.

According to Arrive Alive, the Demerit System, which was signed into law in September 1998, has been delayed for several years pending, amongst other reasons, a feasibility study and an analysis of human resources needed to ensure the successful implementation of the system.

In 2004, 12 200 deaths occurred on South African roads, at a cost of R38-billion to the economy.