A driver who clocked 207km/h, exceeding the prescribed limit, is among 18 motorists arrested for excessive speeding by the Gauteng traffic police’s high-speed unit.

Gauteng traffic police spokesperson Sello Maremane said the reckless and negligent drivers were arrested over the weekend during the high-speed operations conducted along major routes in the province.

The speedsters were found driving their vehicles at a speed in excess of the prescribed maximum speed limit of 120km/h on the freeway, Maremane said in a statement on Tuesday.

He said the suspects aged between 21 and 45 were caught along the N1 Pretoria to Polokwane, N14 Pretoria to Krugersdorp, N4 Pretoria to Mpumalanga, R21 Pretoria to Boksburg, and M1 between Pretoria and Johannesburg.

“The highest speed recorded was the 26-year-old driver of a silver BMW who was caught excessively speeding at 207km/h on the N1 freeway in Midrand... The driver could not provide any reason for over speeding nor show any signs of remorse for having endangered the lives of other road users. The driver was detained at Midrand SAPS.

“All the eighteen drivers formally charged with reckless and negligent driving as well as exceeding the prescribed speed limit of 120km/h on a freeway. The drivers are expected to appear in various magistrate's courts in Pretoria and Johannesburg, respectively, soon after they were granted a bail of [between] R1,500 to R5,000.

“Excessive speeding is one of the major contributing factors towards fatal crashes. This kind of behaviour will never be tolerated on our roads. The Gauteng traffic police high-speed unit will be on high alert this festive season by continuously conducting patrol on Gauteng major routes to ensure that motorists adhere to the general speed limit,” said Maremane.

He urged motorists to “continue to exercise the necessary caution by adhering to the rules of the road, drive at a prescribed speed limit in order to save the lives of passengers and other road users”.