Mercedes-Benz driver arrested for speeding on the N1 near Bela-Bela

A Mercedes-Benz driver was arrested for speeding on the N1 near Bela-Bela on Wednesday, highlighting the province’s ongoing battle with speedsters. 

The Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety said: “Early morning justice caught up with a driver on April 23, when a 34-year-old man was arrested on the N1 freeway near Bela-Bela, in the Waterberg District, for clocking 176km/h in a 120km/h zone. The driver will face the law at the Bela-Bela Magistrate’s Court.”

The department said excessive speed endangers everyone, reducing reaction time and increasing stopping distance, leading to devastating crashes. Consider the impact on families and loved ones if a tragedy were to occur.

The arrest comes after three intoxicated drivers were nabbed in separate incidents for attempting to bribe traffic officials during Easter operations. 

In a press release on Sunday, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said the number of drunken driving arrests in Limpopo had risen following the arrest of two additional drivers attempting to bribe traffic officers.

Members of the National Traffic Police apprehended the motorists who tried to evade a drunken driving charge by offering cash to officers. 

This follows the arrest of another driver in Mokopane for the same charge. He was arrested on Good Friday morning by National Traffic Police officers after being stopped on the N1. He attempted to bribe the officers with R300 after he was found intoxicated.

Earlier this month, two Volkswagen drivers were arrested for speeding in separate incidents. 

In one incident, a 36-year-old VW Polo driver was arrested by traffic law enforcement officers on the N1 freeway near Bela-Bela. The driver was travelling at 185km/h in a 120km/h zone. 

In the second incident, the driver of a VW Golf GTI was caught travelling at 182km/h in a designated 120km/h zone. The driver was granted R1 000 bail. 

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za