The City of Cape Town said it has reported an increase of 40% of road accident calls at the weekend.
The mayoral committee member for safety and security, Alderman JP Smith, said its Public Emergency Communications Centre logged 70 incidents of motor vehicle and pedestrian-vehicle accidents this past weekend compared to the previous week.
“These statistics are a source of frustration and simply underscore our ongoing challenge in convincing road users to do better. It is not a lack of enforcement, but rather a case of personal accountability,” Smith said.
He said Metro Police officers made 18 arrests for drunk driving in a single area - Kuils River - on Sunday.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility, yet these statistics show very little evidence to support that. It’s of grave concern as we head into the festive season, which is one of our busiest periods on the roads. We’ll be ramping up our operations, so I’d advise road users to change gears or face the consequences,” Smith said.
The City of Cape Town Traffic Services recorded 73,004 offences over the past week, compared to 44,587 the week prior.
Arrests were also increased this past week from 67 to 83, with 58 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol, 13 for reckless and negligent driving, and 12 for various other transgressions.
A total of 244 public transport vehicles were impounded, and 3,026 warrants of arrest were executed by Traffic Services.
Metro Police arrested 104 suspects, including 22 for driving under the influence of alcohol, and issued 3,600 fines.
Law enforcement counterparts conducted 641 operations, issued 3,505 notices for various transgressions, and arrested 208 suspects.
At the weekend, the Public Emergency Communication Centre logged 1,932 incidents, a drop from 1,971 the previous weekend.