Traffic Officers literally had to carry a drunk driver to safety, after his drinking binge caused him to black out in the middle of an intersection in Table View at the weekend, the City of Cape Town said on Monday.
Officers of the City’s ghost squad were conducting an operation focusing on illegal street racing on Sunday night when they came across a car that had entered the intersection of Blaauwberg and Jansen Road at around 10pm.
“They found that the driver had passed out behind the wheel, with an empty whiskey bottle and a second, nearly empty bottle on the passenger seat. It took three officers to lift the unconscious driver out of the vehicle. The vehicle was obstructing traffic and had to be moved,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security and Social Services, JP Smith.
According to the statement, officers arrested eight more drivers for drunk driving and two for reckless and negligent driving after they were caught participating in an illegal street race. They also issued fines to 63 unlicensed drivers.
“Drunk driving continues to form a large part of our operations. Despite the numerous warnings and the potentially fatal consequences, drivers continue to ignore the limits and put themselves and other road users at risk,” said Smith.
Other successes by the City’s Traffic Service in the last week included 96 arrests for outstanding warrants by the Automated Number Plate Recognition Unit, 717 warrants served, and 244 suspects released on a warning. The City’s Metro Police Department arrested 28 suspects, including 20 drunk drivers.
“Our officers are to be commended for their hard work and tenacity in dealing with a variety of incidents. Some of these cases could have had serious repercussions, and even fatal consequences, had it not been for the intervention of our officers. We urge the public to exercise responsible behaviour and work with us to curb dangerous and criminal behaviour,” said Smith.
-African News Agency (ANA)
