responsibly
6 February 2007
KwaZulu-Natal Premier S'bu Ndebele has called on drivers in the province to
behave responsibly.
The Premier's call comes after another 44 drunk drivers were arrested in
Pietermaritzburg again over the past weekend.
Over the past two months at least 1000 drunk drivers have been arrested in
KZN. Over the past five weekends more than 262 drunk drivers were arrested in
Pietermaritzburg alone with an average of 52 drunk drivers being arrested every
weekend. On 5 January, 32 drunk drivers were arrested, 52 on 12 January, 53 on
19 January, 81 on 26 January and 44 on 2 February. Among those arrested were
also police officers and traffic officers.
"It seems that Pietermaritzburg, the capital city of our province, has
earned the dubious honour of being KZN's 'City of Drunks.' Despite the fact
that our enforcement operations have been intensified, the number of drunk
drivers being arrested is not decreasing. This cannot be allowed to continue. I
therefore want to make a plea to all drivers to behave responsibly and to
immediately refrain from unlawful and irresponsible behaviour on our roads.
"Drunk driving is a serious offence as well as a major contributory factor
to fatal road crashes. The number of crashes on our roads is alarming and we
must make a concerted effort to put an end to this unnecessary loss of lives. I
want to urge all our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters not to allow your
family members to drink and drive. Always ensure that a designated driver is on
hand should you wish to consume alcohol," Ndebele said.
For further information, please contact:
Logan Maistry
Office of the Premier
Cell: 083 644 4050
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
6 February 2007
Source: SAPA
