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Gauteng saw a sharp decline in the number of traffic accidents and deaths following the ban on the sale of alcohol in the week leading up to the New Year holidays.
On December 28, the ban on alcohol was announced as part of a new regulation to control the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
As thousands of people returned home the weekend after holidays in other provinces, the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni metro police reported a fairly quiet weekend on the roads, with orderly and easily manageable traffic.
Johannesburg Metro Police spokesman Xolani Fihla said the roads had been quiet since the Level 3 restrictions went into effect at midnight on December 29. said 50 people were arrested on December 30 for violating the curfew; however, he said that after these arrests the situation on the city’s roads was “very calm.”
Ekurhuleni metro police spokesman Kobeli Mokheseng said its roads were also peaceful and manageable.
“We currently see peace on our roads, especially when there is no alcohol in the image. We can manage traffic in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies such as SAPS and Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), ”said Mokheseng.
He said banning the sale of alcohol under the tight regulations of the Level 3 lockdown was a major contribution to reducing traffic incidents at this time of year compared to the holiday season rule.
Mokheseng said six motorists were arrested on January 1 for failing to comply with the speed limit and a pedestrian died on January 2 in Kempton Park after being hit by a minibus taxi just before 9 p.m.
RTMC spokesman Simon Zwane said the busiest routes late yesterday were the N1 and N3, where more than 1,500 vehicles were logged in an hour.
Motorists experienced long delays when the N3 was closed Saturday night after a serious accident in heavy rain involving six vehicles near Warden in the Free State.
Eight people died and three others were seriously injured, confirmed the department of highways and transportation. Spokeswoman Hillary Mophete told the broadcaster that one vehicle was traveling south and five other vehicles were traveling north when the frontal collision occurred.
Jetta allegedly lost control, veered north [lanes] and collided with all five vehicles. All the occupants of the Polo Vivo and four others of the Jetta lost their lives. A total of eight people died at the scene. One woman and seven men died, while three people escaped the accident with serious injuries and one escaped with minor injuries, ”said Mophete.
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