A 41-year-old man was arrested for allegedly driving at the speed of 215km/h on the N1 South highway in Gauteng at the weekend. Sello Maremane, the Gauteng traffic police department spokesperson said the man was caught speeding in a silver Mercedes-Benz G63 (G-wagon).
Once the authorities were able to catch up with the speedster, he was questioned about his decision to drive at almost double the maximum speed limit. The driver told the officers that he was trying to run away from hijackers, but the officers were not convinced by his story. “The driver claimed he was running away from hijackers,” Maremane said.
The Mercedes-Benz owner was arrested after his story did not add up, and he now faces charges of reckless and negligent driving- with an alternative charge of driving way over the speed limit of 120km/h on a freeway.
Maremane said six other drivers were also arrested for speeds which ranged between 166km/h to over 200km/h. The speedsters were detained in various police stations which include Wierdabrug, Olifantsfontein and Olievenhoutbosch.
“The Gauteng Traffic Police High Speed Unit successfully clamped down on speedsters due to the use of the latest technological devices during their operation, such as the Moving Violation Recorders,” he said.
The arrested speedsters are expected to appear in various magistrates’ courts to face charges of reckless driving and negligent driving and exceeding the prescribed speed limit.
“Excessive speeding significantly contributes to the high number of road fatalities in the province. We call upon drivers to adhere to the general speed limit on major routes in order to save lives,” Maremane said.
