With the road death toll higher than the murder count in South Africa, Cape Town traffic authorities have warned there will be regular roadblocks in the city.
With the road death toll higher than the murder count in South Africa, Cape Town traffic authorities have warned there will be regular roadblocks in the city.
The reported that Tygerberg traffic chief Heathcliff Thomas said more people died on the country’s roads than were murdered. He also said there were more vehicle accident injuries than assaults in South Africa. In 2002, 1 300 people died in car accidents in the Western Cape.
More than 300 motorists were fined and six taxi drivers arrested at two roadblocks in Milnerton on Thursday.
Traffic police said 301 fines were issued for offences ranging from not carrying the new driver’s licences, to unroadworthy and unlicenced vehicles. Taxis accounted for 88 of the total fines.
Six taxi drivers were arrested for outstanding warrants, but they were released after paying their fines, which totalled R3 500.
The mayoral committee member in charge of safety, David Erleigh, said that roadblocks would be held regularly and there would be spot checks on buses, taxis and trucks.
Meanwhile, the reported that motorists studying or working overseas should soon be able to convert their licences to the credit-card format.
It had been previously said that motorists who were overseas at the time of the changeover would have to retake the driver’s test. The Transport Department said applications could only be done in the country because eye tests and fingerprinting were part of the process. But Parliament is expected to change the transport laws to allow those who were overseas to convert without redoing the test.
Lisa Mangcu, the department of transport’s manager of road traffic management, told the newspaper there had been many requests to consider those who had been overseas. One woman told him that it was not right that she could not convert her licence after returning to South Africa after the cutoff date. “The woman told me she felt aggrieved as she did not have a criminal record and yet people released from jail were given their licences,” he said.