By Bongani Tshabalala
The Free State MEC for Police, Roads and Transport, Sam Mashinini, says good behaviour by road by motorists as well as pedestrians has resulted in decrease of road accidents in the recent holidays.
MEC is hopeful that drivers will behave in the same manner during the rest of the year.
The department said that the Easter weekend is one of the busiest weekends on the roads, as people make their way to see their families in different provinces, or travel long distances for church gatherings.
“As expected, there was a high volume of traffic from 1 to 5 April. A high volume of traffic usually means high chances of accidents and fatalities. However, this Easter weekend was a bit different, as there were 8 fatal vehicle crashes which resulted in the death of 13 people,” said the department of police, roads and transport.
MEC Mashinini also thanked the law enforcement officers who worked hard to ensure that everyone followed the rules of the road and for apprehending those who were not following the rules. However, the MEC believes that even though the statistics are impressive, there is still work that needs to be done in the province.
According to MEC Mashinini, “A total of 5 708 vehicles were screened over the Easter weekend by law enforcement officers, and 627 fines were issued for various offences. Sixteen drivers were apprehended for speeding, while three were apprehended for driving under the influence of alcohol.
“A total of 77 drivers were fined for having expired license discs and 29 were fined for not being able to display the vehicle’s license discs. A total of 43 drivers were fined for not wearing their seatbelts and 10 were fined for using their mobile phones while driving, while 66 motorists were fined for driving without a legal driver’s license” said MEC Mashinini.
The MEC sent his condolences to the families who have lost loved ones during the Easter weekend and wishes those who survived a speedy recovery.
