R10 000 FINE FOR SPEEDING MOTORIST

The driver of a Mercedes Benz, Mr A S Akoonjee (40)of Umhlanga Rocks, Durban was caught travelling at a speed of 177 kilometres per hour in a 120 kilometre per hour zone on the N3 near Cato Ridge in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands yesterday and was fined R10 000 at the Road Side Court in Cato Ridge. This is the highest fine issued to a speedster in the province this festive season.

Head of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa has once again appealed to all road users to help us reduce the carnage on our roads as we head into Christmas.

"The best enforcement agencies in the world rely on communities to assist with combating crime. Traffic crime is no different and our ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy is an innovative and worthwhile programme. However, it needs the support of the public. It needs every single road user to be responsible. It needs people (drivers and pedestrians) to understand the dangers of drinking alcohol and then using the roads. It needs people to be patient, self-controlled, and responsible and to drive defensively," Mbanjwa said.

The road side court situated at Cato Ridge was full of activity yesterday with 42 motorists appearing before the magistrate. The majority of offenders were found guilty of speed-related offences.

Several crashes occurred in and around the province during the past week-end. Four people burnt to death after a head on collision involving a car and a bakkie at about 13h00 yesterday on the P603 between Swartberg and Evatt near Kokstad in Southern KwaZulu-Natal. Another person was seriously injured and a further two people suffered minor injuries and were admitted to the Usher Memorial Hospital in Kokstad.

Meanwhile, the current road death toll for the province is 146. Thirty five drivers, 56 pedestrians and 48 passengers have been killed in 119 crashes since the start of the festive season on December 1.

Further, Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) officials have charged road users for 38 646 various traffic offences since December 1. Sixty one drivers have been arrested for drinking and driving and 29 934 drivers fined for speeding.

Two thousand five hundred (2 500) vehicles per hour were recorded travelling along the main routes yesterday and traffic volumes are expected to peak between today and tomorrow.

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