A video clip circulating social media of a high-speed crash on the N1 outgoing at the Sable Road off-ramp has prompted the City to release a statement condemning illegal street racing.
The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, confirmed the incident took place in the early hours of Monday morning.
“We can confirm that the incident did in fact happen just after midnight this morning, leaving the driver of the BMW seriously injured,” he said.
“The incident is just the latest example of the devastation wrought by illegal street racers on our streets.”
Smith also said that the fact that individuals were standing by and filming the event is “concerning”.
He added that it is not always only the drivers involved who get hurt in such incidents.
“No other persons were hurt, but there have been plenty of cases before where innocent persons have paid with their lives because of the recklessness and arrogance of others.”
High speed roll-over MVC N1 near the Sable road turn-off. One patient transported to hospital with critical injuries by ER24. @FatalMoves @ER24EMS @1SecondLater #RSI pic.twitter.com/RT6zFs6JoQ
— Lima Charlie 1 (@LimaCharlie1) January 21, 2019
Cape Town – N1 Highway: High Speed street racing #CRASH – last night opposite Century City #Dicing pic.twitter.com/ZxCts7bEl5
— Rob Beezy (@TrafficSA) January 21, 2019
Although the Traffic Service is unable to prosecute the motorists based on third-party evidence such as the aforementioned video footage, the South African Police service intends to pursue a case on the incident.
The Ghost Squad, a Cape Town specialist unit which works in unmarked vehicles to crack down on traffic violations, and local traffic officers regularly have to manage incidents of illegal street racing along with various other driving offences in Cape Town.
“The City has engaged with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) about this matter and they have informed us that they are not legally able to open cases or issue notices based on statements from members of the public and that only SAPS may investigate such cases when a member of the public submits a complaint.”
In a separate shocking incident on Sunday, the Ghost Squad pursued a vehicle on the N2 that was speeding at a mark of almost 200km per hour. The driver of the vehicle refused to stop and, astoundingly, swapped seats with his passenger mid-pursuit as the car was racing along to avoid prosecution.
The car finally pulled over soon after, and the original driver was arrested on charges of reckless and negligent driving as well as drunk driving. Both passengers were charged with defeating the ends of justice.
123 suspects were arrested by the Cape Town Traffic Service and 1 793 fines issued for various offenses over the last week alone. Of the arrests made during the week, 92 were for drunk driving, 21 for outstanding warrants while the rest were for reckless and negligent driving as well as fraud.
Picture: Twitter/ Lima Charlie 1
