Traffic authorities have promised a crackdown to reduce the carnage on the country’s roads. This follows the deaths of 141 people in 110 road accidents around the country at the weekend. The highest number of deaths was recorded in the Eastern Cape where 53 people were confirmed to have died in road accidents over the weekend.Two crashes‚ one in Willowvale with 36 fatalities and another involving a minibus taxi that crashed near Cradock with nine fatalities‚ accounted for the majority of the deaths.Crash investigators from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) were sent to the Eastern Cape over the weekend to determine the cause of the two accidents. A preliminary report from the investigators is expected this week‚ the RTMC said on Monday.Gauteng recorded the second highest number of road fatalities over the weekend with 21 people confirmed to have died in 29 crashes. KwaZulu-Natal recorded 17 deaths in 18 crashes and Limpopo recorded 13 deaths in 12 collisions.The province with the least number of road deaths was the Northern Cape where five deaths were recorded in five collisions‚ followed by the Free State (six deaths in six collisions)‚ Mpumalanga (eight deaths in 10 collisions)‚ North West (nine deaths in eight accidents) and Western Cape (nine deaths in nine collisions).The RTMC is to work with provincial traffic authorities to intensify law enforcement on the roads‚ including the introduction of a 24 hour shift for traffic officers‚ in an effort to reduce the number of people who die in motor vehicle crashes.RTMC said the Shareholder Committee‚ comprising the national Minister of Transport‚ the MECs from all provinces and the South African Local Government Association‚ last week granted the RTMC the authority to harmonise law-enforcement throughout the country and work towards the introduction of a 24 hour/seven days a week shift system.RTMC CEO Advocate Makhosini Msibi said this will contribute to “increased police visibility and ensure greater impact on the prevention of traffic offences and a reduction in traffic fatalities”.“Harmonisation will streamline the delivery of essential road traffic and law-enforcement services and ensure coordination and collaboration in the implementation of agreed national uniform standards‚” said Msibi.Anti-corruption operations will also be intensified to deal decisively with driving schools that connive with licensing officers to issue drivers’ licences to undeserving candidates. These operations will also focus on the fraudulent issuance of roadworthy certificates to public transport and freight operators.Traffic officers will also receive further training and development to be able to do their work effectively and contribute towards reducing fatalities on the roads.Adv Msibi said the additional on-the-job training to be provided to traffic officers will focus on equipping officers with skills to enforce overload control‚ dangerous goods transportation‚ vehicle examination‚ license examination‚ road traffic information and road traffic legislation. They will also be trained to do high speed pursuit and interception.He warned motorists that the RTMC was consulting with the Department of Justice to tighten the law on drunken driving. The proposal under discussion involved the reclassification of drunken driving from a Schedule 3 to a Schedule 5 offence and the introduction of minimum sentences.“Road safety is not negotiable. It is everyone’s responsibility to behave appropriately on the roads and where they fail the must be consequences‚” Adv Msibi said.The 365 day road safety plan will also be implemented with vigour in all provinces to empower passengers and pedestrians‚ he added. ..