Early celebration ends in a car chase, a big bang and flying booze bottles

Bottles and cans of alcohol became airborne missiles when an allegedly drunk driver refused to stop at a roadblock and ended up crashing into a truck.

The motorist did not comply when traffic officials tried to stop him in Dunoon on Sunday December 23 2018 at one of several roadblocks set up to curb road deaths caused by drunk driving in Cape Town.

"The suspect sped off, nearly running over a traffic officer and, after a high-speed chase, collided with a heavy-duty articulated truck," said mayoral committee member for safety, security and social services JP Smith.

"Miraculously, there were no serious injuries."

The vehicle was filled with an assortment of alcoholic beverages. Bottles and cans were strewn about after the collision.

A six-pack of beer cans rested on the dashboard in the middle of the shattered windscreen in the aftermath of the crash.

The driver was handcuffed, sitting in the smashed vehicle.

"The driver was charged with drunk driving, reckless and negligent driving, and attempted murder," said Smith.

He said the driver was one of 95 drink-driving suspects arrested by Cape Town traffic services in the past four days.

"This incident could so easily have been avoided, but instead, one bad decision to drive under the influence set in motion a chain of bad decisions that nearly cost people their lives," said Smith.

"We can’t win the war on drunk driving and the devastating consequences with enforcement only. People need to start taking responsibility for their actions," he said.