Death toll rises to 1 279
2013-01-03 17:28
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Accidents
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Johannesburg - The death toll on South African roads over
the festive season stands at 1 279, the Road Traffic Management Corporation
(RTMC) said on Thursday.
"Preliminary reports from the SAPS for the period 1 December
[2012] to 1 January [2013] indicated 1 067 crashes, resulting in 1 279
fatalities," said spokesperson Ashref Ismail.
On Monday the death toll stood at 1 207.
Ismail said there had been 21 major accidents reported
between 1 December last year and 1 January this year.
The department of transport on Wednesday said more than 2
100 motorists had been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol
since 1 December.
"This can't be normal... [between] 1 December and
today [2 January ], over 2 100 people were arrested for drunk driving,"
said spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso.
"Families and the economy continue to suffer and
bleed, because we are losing manpower when people are killed in accidents. The
department is concerned because we continue to witness unnecessary loss of
lives."
In the accidents over the festive season, alcohol and
excessive speed were "common denominators" in many of the fatal
crashes.
"We need to remove habitual offenders from our roads
- they are turning our roads into killing fields," he said.
- SAPA
