The Gauteng Traffic Police’s High-Speed Unit has arrested 18 drivers for allegedly speeding excessively  on Gauteng roads.

“Excessive speeding is one of the major contributing factors towards fatal crashes. This kind of behaviour will never be tolerated on our roads,” Gauteng Traffic Police spokesperson, Sello Maremane, said on Tuesday.

The reckless and negligent drivers were arrested over the weekend during the high-speed operations conducted along Gauteng major routes.

The speedsters were found driving their vehicles at a speed in excess of the prescribed maximum speed limit of 120km per hour on a freeway.

The suspects, aged between 21 and 45, were apprehended on Gauteng Freeways such as the N1 Pretoria to Polokwane, N14 Pretoria to Krugersdorp, N4 Pretoria to Mpumalanga, R21 Pretoria to Boksburg, and M1 between Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Their speed ranged from 160km per hour to over 200 km per hour.

The highest speed recorded was the 26-year-old driver of a Silver BMW, who was caught excessively speeding at 207 km per hour on the N1 freeway in Midrand on 11 December 2021.

“The driver could not provide any reason for over speeding nor show any signs of remorse for having endangered the lives of other road users. The driver was detained at Midrand police station.

“All the drivers were formally charged with reckless and negligent driving, as well as exceeding the prescribed speed limit of 120km/h on a freeway. The drivers are expected to appear soon in various magistrate courts in Pretoria and Johannesburg, respectively, after they were granted a bail of R1 500 to R5 000,” the Gauteng Traffic Police said.

The Gauteng Traffic Police High-Speed Unit will be on high alert this festive season by continuously conducting patrol on Gauteng major routes to ensure that motorists adhere to the general speed limit.

The Gauteng Traffic Police have urged motorists to continue to exercise the necessary caution by adhering to the rules of the road, and driving at the prescribed speed limit in order to save the lives of passengers and other road users.

Source: South African Government News Agency