A total of 3078 motorists have been arrested on South African roads in the first 16 days of the festive period for drunken driving‚ speeding‚ reckless and negligent driving‚ and the possession of false documents‚ the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) announced on Monday.

The highest number of arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol was recorded in Gauteng‚ where 1639 motorists were arrested.

 Meanwhile‚ the Free State recorded the highest number of arrests for speeding with 113 motorists nabbed.

RTMC spokesman Simon Zwane said that among those arrested were two motorists who allegedly attempted to bribe a traffic official in the Eastern Cape and a motorist who was stopped while driving at 219km/h in a 120km/h zone on the N3 near Warden in the Free State.

 Zwane said the bribery arrests were made by one official after he was offered a R90 bribe on December 3 and a R100 bribe on December 16.

Traffic officers conducted 258 roadblocks in all provinces and issued traffic fines to 152 243 motorists for traffic regulations transgressions.

Zwane said more than 10 000 drivers were given notices for failing to wear seatbelts while 1426 were given fines for talking on the cellphones while driving.

Zwane said roadblocks and traffic law enforcement operations are to be intensified again this week on the second peak travel period — from Friday December 23 — when motorists will be travelling to various destinations‚ including places of worship for Christmas.

Traffic authorities are planning a clampdown on road traffic violations over the Christmas long weekend in an effort to reduce crashes‚ injuries and fatalities.

Zwane urged motorists to exercise caution‚ be aware of pedestrians and respect the rules of the road. — TMG Digital