An Easter breakfast with death for dessert

  1. Posted on Tuesday 10 April 2007 - 14:04
    Elvira van Noort
    Image of Elvira van Noort
    10 April 2007, by Elvira van Noort in Grahamstown, South Africa. Two hot cross buns, fresh orange juice, strawberry jam on crackers, green tea and a fruit salad. I had the perfect Easter breakfast, topped of with a chocolate Easter bunny. Although I was by myself with only my cat and dog as companions the beautiful weekend weather made me want to sing and dance.
    On my way to work, in my new car Ernie de "74 Benz, I was stopped by Traffic police three times in a row! The first police officer asked me if I had just returned from some house party in Port Alfred...the second time two officers searched the car...and the third policeman wanted to see my drivers licence.

    Normally a 3-minute drive from home to work, this time it took me about 20 minutes. With a dehydrated dog and cat in the passengers" seat, it was 32 degrees outside, I pulled up at work. The place was empty.

    I decided to wait a bit for the workers to arrive and killed time watching TV. SABC news broadcasted a warning to drivers celebrating the long Easter weekend away from home. The traffic police say there will be a zero tolerance policy to anyone driving drunk, not wearing a seatbelt, or doing anything else that puts lives in danger.

    However, during the Easter weekend 181 people died in road accidents. A Mail & Guardian Online article reads: "...the 181 people who lost their lives in 143 crashes, 41 were drivers, 71 were passengers and 69 were pedestrians..." But: "...the statistics were still low compared to the 232 deaths in 2006".

    Those are only deaths; don"t forget about all the people who are seriously injured.

    When are South Africans going to learn that drunk driving is just not worth it? A lot of people die on the roads, why is there not a zero tolerance policy 365 days a year?

    Well, it is Tuesday, the Easter weekend is over and no one died in traffic accidents in or around Grahamstown. My thanks go out to those Grahamstown traffic cops that kept these few roads safe.

    UPDATE 12 April 2007: How wrong was I being so optimistic? Today on the news I heard that in total 276 people died in traffic accidents this Easter holiday. In comparison to the 257 over the same period last year this is unacceptable. But now, how can this be with so much more police on the look out? Where is it going wrong?

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