Cape Town - As motorists return to work, three vehicle collisions left thirty-one injured on the N2 Jan Smuts in Athlone this morning.
This comes after paramedics arrived on the scene and found two taxis and a light motor vehicle parked on the side of the road, and the passengers from the vehicles were found seated on the roadside.
ER24 Communications Officer Russel Meiring said that medics assessed the patients and found that thirty-one people had sustained minor to moderate injuries. Fortunately, no serious injuries or fatalities were found.
"With details surrounding this incident yet to be known, the patients were treated and thereafter transported to nearby hospitals for further care. Several others were transported privately to nearby hospitals, " said Meiring. .
With higher traffic volumes deriving from motorist returning home from the festive holidays, Transport and Public Works MEC Daylin Mitchell's spokesperson Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka said that every death is one too many, and the high number of drunk driving arrests week on week is remains a major concern.
"Driving when you have been drinking is dangerous, regardless of how much or how little you drink. Alcohol affects your judgement and slows down your ability to respond in an emergency. You are likely to drive faster than you usually do and less carefully."
"Western Cape Provincial Traffic Services implemented a total of 310 integrated roadblocks, vehicle checkpoint and speed control operations across the province in the week of January 3 to the 9, and a total of 454 speeding offences were recorded and 11 685 fines were issued for various traffic violations ranging from driver to vehicle fitness," said Somdaka.
She added that as the province prepares for motorists to return to their various destinations for the beginning of the 2022 academic year and return to work, the departments appeals to all road users to be responsible, practice patience, avoid reckless and negligent driving, rest every two hours and be considerate to all road users and vehicle types.
Weekend Argus