Gauteng doctor among scores arrested for drunk driving as cops clamp down

19 December 2019 - 10:36 By timeslive
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Traffic authorities are on a mission to highlight the dangers of driving while intoxicated and speeding.
Traffic authorities are on a mission to highlight the dangers of driving while intoxicated and speeding.
Image: Arrive Alive

Motorists are warned that traffic authorities are determined to take a hard line on drunk driving and speeding, as part of efforts to curb road deaths.

“Instead of needing to Arrive Alive, seems drivers want to RIPieces,” the Gauteng Traffic Police said when it shared the extreme speeds some drivers had been caught doing.

In just one day, December 18, the division's high-speed unit arrested these drivers:

  • At 6pm, Audi: 195km/h, N4 Bronkhorstspruit, 28-year-old
  • 6.40pm, Polo: 180km/h, N14 Tshwane, 24-year-old
  • 9.10pm, Audi 168km/h, R21 Olifantsfontein, 41-year-old
  • 9.15pm, Ford Focus, 183km/h, N1 Midrand, 37-year-old
  • 10.50pm, Toyota Etios 181km/h, R21 Olifantsfontein, 48-year-old
  • 11pm, Ford Fiesta, 182km/h, N1 Tshwane, 38-year-old

It was “absolutely ridiculous even attempting these speeds”, said the department.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), meanwhile, is on a mission to highlight the danger of driving while intoxicated.

Recently, a 42-year-old doctor from Tembisa Hospital in Gauteng was arrested. He appeared in the Midrand magistrate's court on allegations of drunken driving. “He was found to be twice the legal alcohol limit and was immediately arrested,” said the RTMC.

Earlier this week, minister in the presidency Jackson Mthembu called on South Africans to observe the rules of the road as they made their way to holiday destinations.

“The responsibility to reduce carnage on the roads lies with every one of us,” Mthembu said at a post-cabinet meeting briefing.

Responsible behaviour on the roads included no drinking and driving, driving within the speed limits and being considerate towards other road users, including pedestrians, he said.


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