Twenty-Five pedestrians killed on MP roads during August
The increasing number of pedestrians that are killed in road accidents are a major concern to government.
According to research, most people get killed while crossing highways.
According to Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Petrus Ngomane, pedestrian safety must not be overlooked because it has been proven over the years that pedestrian fatalities contribute immensely to road death statistics.
He said that pedestrians who continue to break the law should be dealt with. According to national statistics, at least 40 percent of accidents in the country involve pedestrians.
In August alone Mpumalanga recorded at least 541 incidents that left 93 people dead of which 25 were pedestrians. People that sustained serious injuries amounted to 386 while 599 were slightly injured.
MEC Ngomane said that these statistics are an indication that there is still more work that needs to be done by the department.
“We cannot have over 90 people killed in road crashes in one month; that is a clear indication that we need to put more effort on our strategies in order to improve road safety in the province,” he said.
He added that the department will work tirelessly to bring down the number of these incidents and non-compliance with traffic rules.
Meanwhile, traffic officers managed to stop and assess 212 633 vehicles during law enforcement operations that took place across the province in August.
Drivers arrested for traffic violations such as driving without licenses and speeding: 308
Vehicles removed by traffic officers: 726
Vehicles impounded: 822.
Ngomane praised the traffic officers and encouraged them to be faithful by not taking bribes as corruption highly contributes to the current state of affairs.
“As much as we try to improve on our law enforcement operations and road safety to prevent road crashes and lawlessness, road users must remain key in ensuring road safety by practicing caution and obey road rules at all times. Law breakers must be reported so that we can deal with them,” said Ngomane.
Issued by: Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison
Main Image URL
Thumbnail URL
