[Image: PickPik]
The Western Cape Government is sounding the alarm after a deadly stretch on the province’s roads left 18 people dead in just one week.
Between April 29 and May 4, 2025, 16 fatal crashes painted a grim picture of what happens when people treat the rules of the road like suggestions.
According to the Western Cape Mobility Department, the usual suspects were behind the carnage: reckless driving, speed demons pushing the limits, and the always-present addition of drunk drivers.
And if you thought the roads were chaotic, just look at the numbers. Provincial Traffic Services recorded a jaw-dropping 267 speeding offences during that same week. One genius was clocked doing 167km/h in a 120 zone, because apparently, the laws of physics don’t apply to him. Another was caught flying through a 60 zone at 99km/h, probably thinking they were auditioning for Fast & Furious: Cape Town Drift.
“These shocking speeds endanger the lives of not only drivers but also those of passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists,” the department said, stating the obvious, but it still needs to be said.
“Speeding increases the likelihood of losing control of a vehicle, reduces the effectiveness of protective equipment, and increases stopping distances.”
No matter how big and fast your car is, it isn’t a spaceship, and you’re not invincible.
To try and rein in the madness, traffic officers rolled out 238 integrated operations: roadblocks, checkpoints, speed traps, the whole shebang.
In that crackdown, more than 36,000 vehicles were stopped and checked. Over 8,000 fines were dished out, and 139 people got slapped with arrests. That includes 96 drivers who thought it was totally fine to hit the road after knocking back a few too many.
Muneera Allie, Head of Communication at the Western Cape Mobility Department, said that “In the past week, 16 crashes could have been avoided, and 18 lives could have been saved”.
“These statistics should not just shock us, they should spur us into action. The truth is that too many of these incidents are due to human error and a disregard for rules that are intended to protect us all.”
Basically, we’re not talking about freak accidents here, just preventable stupidity. The department is pleading with drivers to do the bare minimum: plan your trip, slow the hell down, stay awake, and drive according to the road and weather conditions.
“The success of our road safety efforts depends on every single road user doing their part,” the department said.
“Let’s work together to make our roads safer, for our families, our friends, our communities. Every life matters.”
To hammer it home, the department reiterated: 16 fatal crashes. 18 people gone.
All in one week. It’s brutal, it’s real, and it’s on all of us to stop it.
[Source: Cape Argus]
