An alarming increase in drunk driving arrests ahead of the festive season has the City of Cape Town warning motorists that driving under the influence will not be tolerated.
On Monday, City Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said that last week saw the number of arrests double over the last fortnight, a trend that has continued into this week.
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A total of 127 arrests were made for drunk driving, up from the previous week’s 69, which had nearly doubled from the 36 arrests the week before that.
The City’s Traffic Service made 119 arrests of which 105 were for drunk driving and 14 for reckless and negligent driving.
The other 22 drunk driving arrests were made by Metro Police officers.
“The carnage on our roads, our enforcement and numerous appeals are clearly not deterring drivers hell bent on getting behind the wheel drunk,” said Smith. “It is disheartening to see such absolute disregard for the law.”
“Officers will continue to arrest those drivers who clearly don’t care for their own lives or other road users.”
“Sadly, these statistics are likely to be par for the course as we head towards the year-end holidays.”
“It can be a joyous time for everyone, but if you’re intent on breaking the law, it won’t be all that jolly behind bars. Do the right thing and don’t drink and drive.”
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