By Thabisile Khoza
Mpumalanga - Mpumalanga has recorded fewer road fatalities during the Easter holidays compared to last year.
Provincial Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe said the slight decrease of 27 to 24 fatalities is a sign that road safety education needs to be provided on a continuous basis.
“At least 83 accidents have occurred and 24 people died in the entire province this year during the Easter holidays, compared to last year (where) 121 accidents occurred, resulting in 27 fatalities,” said Shongwe in a statement.
Shongwe said 92 drivers were arrested for excessive speeding, drunken driving and possession of false documents while 6 224 traffic fines were also issued for various offences.
"We have managed to book 92 reckless drivers on our roads over the Easter weekend. This year’s focus was on overloaded and unroadworthy vehicles as statistics showed that they were most likely to be involved in accidents," said Shongwe.
He said operations were staged in different routes of the province, where 28 169 vehicles were stopped and 246 were discontinued while 131 were impounded. These vehicles also included trailers which were declared unroadworthy.
"As the department we expresses appreciation to our traffic officers and other law enforcement agencies emphasising that such operations should be the order of the day to ensure that the fight against road accidents is won in the province," Shongwe said.
The department also thanked responsible motorists who had prioritised road safety and ensured lesser accidents in the province.
The department further called for the Department of Justice to ensure that convicted drivers receive harsh sentences to avoid a repeat of similar offences. – SAnews.gov.za
