''Alcohol and roads don’t mix,'' says WC Mobility MEC.
The Western Cape’s Mobility Department has raised concerns over the number of motorists that were arrested in the past week for drunk driving.
Between 4 - 10 July 2022, 98 arrests were made for
violating various traffics offences, and the bulk of these (73) were for motorists
driving under the influence in the province.
MEC, Daylinn Mitchell joined Provincial Traffic Officers
during the province’s integrated roadblocks in the West Coast last week and the
Garden Route in the week under review to ensure road users comply with the law
‘’During the roadblocks, I found that most motorists were compliant.
It is always the few exceptions that bring danger on our roads, and that is why
the Western Cape Provincial Traffic Services continues to run 24/7 operations
across the province.’’
‘’Alcohol and roads don’t mix. Never drink and drive or
drink and walk. Even small amounts of alcohol can affect your judgement as a
road user. If you are convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, you
will have a criminal record. Moreover, you could take the life of yourself
and/or another person,’’ added Mitchell.
Furthermore, Western Cape Provincial Traffic Services
handed out 229 speeding offences and 6 525 fines were issued for various traffic
violations ranging from driver to vehicle fitness. Forty-five vehicles were
impounded and 42 were discontinued for unroadworthiness.
The department also recorded 24 fatalities on the provinces
roads. Of these, 11 were passengers, 7 pedestrians, 4 drivers, and one each for
fell of vehicle and motorcyclist.
‘’When police and traffic law enforcement officers have to
attend to crashes caused by drinking and driving or drinking and walking, they
have less time to attend to crime and keep the roads safe. When police and
traffic law enforcement officials are tied up in court with cases involving
driving under the influence of alcohol, they have less time to keep the public
safe. Cases of driving under the influence also slow down the criminal justice
system,’’ said Daylinn Mitchell, Western Cape’s Mobility MEC
COURTESY: Twitter - @mec_mitchell // MEC mitchell ensuring road compliance
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