Traffic authorities to keep a close eye on New Year road users

Law enforcement will be beefed up on the roads and around places of entertainment on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and when holidaymakers start returning home after the festive season.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has called on motorists to obey the rules of the road, warning that stricter enforcement is in place as holidaymakers make their way around the country.

“More than a million vehicles have been stopped and checked at various roadblocks since the start of the festive season road safety campaign on December 1. A total of 6,470 people have been arrested for, among other things, drunken driving, excessive speeding, driving without licences, reckless driving and overloading,” the RTMC said.

More than 120 pedestrians have been arrested for jaywalking.

The RTMC warned that unroadworthy vehicles will be taken off the road and said public transport operators must ensure they have proper permits to operate on the selected routes. 

“[About] 9,309 vehicles have been discontinued and declared unfit to be operated on public roads after various [defects] were found when inspected and more than 5,700 public transport vehicles were impounded [for] violation of operator permits,” the RTMC said.

Briefing the media on December 20, transport minister Barbara Creecy said 1,512 people had died on the roads since December 1, a 3% increase from the same period in 2023. She said there had been a number of multiple vehicle accidents with multiple fatalities and expressed concern that almost 50% of those who have died were pedestrians.

“We’ve pulled [off] almost 500,000 vehicles. A third of the arrests were people driving under the influence of alcohol and 250 were people driving at excessive speed,” she said.

Creecy appealed to the public to play their part in road safety.

“Government can only do so much and road safety is everybody’s responsibility. It is unacceptable that you go partying and get behind a steering wheel. It’s also not acceptable that you go partying and walk down the middle of the road at night.”