‘Menace to society’: Mercedes Benz E63 driver arrested for clocking 200km/h on the N1 highway
A 34-year-old man is on Tuesday expected to appear in the Mokopane Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo after he was arrested for allegedly clocking 200 kilometres per hour, in a 120 kilometre per hour zone.
The motorist was arrested on Monday on a stretch of the N1 highway, said the Limpopo department of transport and community safety.
“A 34-year-old male driver of a white Mercedes Benz sedan was arrested (on Monday) for travelling at the speed of 200km/h on a 120km/h zone on the N1 highway near Mokopane, in the Waterberg district,” the provincial department said.
“Speeding drivers are considered a menace to society. Their reckless behaviour often leads to fatal crashes. Do not over-speed. Arrive alive.”
During the long Easter weekend, IOL reported that by Saturday the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said more than 1,000 people had been arrested and hundreds of vehicles had been impounded since the start of the weekend.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the RTMC said: “More than 1,000 road users have been arrested and 900 vehicles impounded in law enforcement operations conducted in all nine provinces since the start of the Easter holidays on Thursday.
“The arrests related to various offences, such as drunken driving, producing false driving documentation, driving recklessly, operating on the roads without driving permits, and overloading of both goods and passengers.”
The RTMC said the vehicles were impounded mainly in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga for violation of public transport operating permits.
It said Easter weekend is associated with increased traffic volumes as pilgrimages and holidaymakers take advantage of the public holidays to visit family or go on vacation.
However, this surge in traffic poses significant road safety challenges, with authorities often warning motorists to exercise caution due to the high volumes of vehicles on the roads.
The RTMC said increased traffic volumes were experienced on Thursday and Friday from approximately 10am with the N1 North and N3 South recording an average of 2 000 vehicles passing through various tollgates per hour.
The N4 East recorded 1,900, while N1 South recorded an average of 1,000 vehicles per hour.
“A total of 75,961 vehicles were stopped and checked, and 916,927 drivers were issued with traffic fines for various infringements,” the RTMC said.
“One of the major concerns during this period was unroadworthy vehicles, and 274 vehicles with defects vehicles were discontinued.”
IOL