Pretoria – Four unroadworthy trucks have been impounded by the Mpumalanga provincial government.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said the vehicles and their trailers had numerous defects, including worn out tyres with exposed wires, expired licence discs and cracked windscreens.
“Authorities also discovered that one of the trucks had a licence disk of a motorbike. A case of fraud against the truck owner is being investigated.
“Three of the vehicles had North West registration number plates, while the fourth was from Swaziland. The trucks will not be allowed to leave Mpumalanga until the defects have been fixed and penalties have been paid,” said RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane.
Zwane said unroadworthy vehicles pose a major danger to other road users, as they get involved in crashes with fatal consequences for other motorists, pedestrians, passengers and cyclists.
“The RTMC would like to warn truck owners that their operators’ licences will be suspended and criminal charges will be laid against them for failing to ensure that their vehicles are in a proper state to be on the roads.”
From January 2013 to May 2016, trucks have been involved in 131 major crashes, in which 791 people were killed and 726 others injured.
The majority of fatal truck crashes were experienced in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape.
“Vehicle related factors were identified as the second most common contributing factor in these crashes. Human error or behaviour remain the leading factor in truck crashes.
“The number of unroadworthy or unlicensed vehicles in the country has also shown a remarkable increase from about 962 000 in 2013 to more 1 051 million vehicles in 2015,” Zwane said.
Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe said the war on road crashes can only be won if motorists comply with road rules and are considerate towards other road users.
Shongwe called on the members of the public to report any wrongdoing to the authorities.
“They should also expose any corruption within the law enforcement fraternity.”
Members of the public are urged to report incidents of unsafe road behaviour, bribery, fraud and corruption on 0861 400 800. – SAnews.gov.za
