188 speeding offences recorded in WC in past week

Western Cape traffic officials handed 188 speeding offences to motorists in the past week, with two motorists arrested for speeding.

The Mobility Department said it will particularly focus on speeding for the month of August, which is an ongoing issue on the province’s roads.

Officials recorded a motorist driving 175km/h in a 120km/h zone; 134km/h in a 100km/h zone; 115km/h in an 80km/h zone, and 84km/h in a 60km/h zone.

PICTURE: Pixabay

Western Cape’s Mobility MEC, Ricardo Mackenzie, urged motorists to commit to driving safely.

‘’Please reduce your speed, especially when roads are wet and visibility is poor, because it will take longer to stop. Speeding dramatically increases the chances of a crash, because the faster you drive, the less time you will have to react to emergencies.’’

‘’Speeding also increases the severity of a crash, due to the significant ‘impact forces’ on people during the crash. If a vehicle travelling at only 60km/h crashes, for a person who weighs 55kg without a seatbelt, it will feel like being hit with a force of 19 500kg. If the person is wearing a seatbelt, the impact force will still be 3 800kg. At 90km/h, the impact force on the same 55kg person will be 43 800kg without a seatbelt, and over 8 700kg with a seatbelt. At 120km/h, the force on this person will be 77 800kg without a seatbelt, and 15 500kg with a seatbelt,’’ he added.

At the same time, 24 crashes were recorded and 25 people lost their lives on Western Cape roads. Of these, 18 were pedestrians, 5 were drivers; and 2 passengers died on the province’s roads this past week.

 

Done By: Mitchum George