Traffic officers are showing zero tolerance to motorists driving unroadworthy vehicles.
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With the festive season peak travel period fast approaching, traffic officers are showing zero tolerance to motorists driving unroadworthy vehicles.
Officers have in the past six days stopped and checked 229 612 vehicles in roadblocks conducted throughout the country. A total of 662 vehicles were discontinued because of roadworthiness issues such as smooth tyres, disfunctional brakes, faulty lights, cracked windscreens including leaking engines and steering that’s not in good working order. Any three faults will result in the discontinuation of a vehicle.
Another 727 vehicle were impounded for violating the National Land Transportation Act such as operating public transport for reward without operating permits.
The provincial breakdown of the number of discontinued vehicles is as follow:
Eastern Cape - 146
Free State - 7
Gauteng- 28
Limpopo - 13
Mpumalanga - 137
KwaZulu Natal - 113
North West - 3
Western Cape - 71
National Traffic Police - 134
Northern Cape - 0
Motorists are advised to fix their vehicles and ensure that they have no defects before embarking on long distance journeys expected to start next weekend after the official start of school holidays and closure of the construction industry.
Meanwhile data stored on the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) reflects that that there 527 008 unroadworthy vehicles in the county. This is a small improvement when compared to 2024 when the number of unroadworthy vehicles were recorded as 604 881.
These include buses, taxis and commercial vehicles. In South Africa, commercial vehicles with gross vehicle mass over 3,500 kg including taxis and minibus taxis are required to undergo annual roadworthy test. Buses require a test every six months.
Unroadworthy vehicles per province are as follows:
KwaZulu Natal - 70 201
Limpopo - 24 955
Free State - 35 319
Eastern Cape - 34 526
Northern Cape - 10 426
Western Cape - 75 369
Mpumalanga - 37 396
Gauteng - 255 455
North West - 28 361
Traffic authorities have been instructed to show no mercy to anyone caught driving an unroadworthy vehicle. Drivers will be arrested and vehicles impounded.
