An alleged road rage argument turned fatal in Emmarentia on Sunday.
Image: Suburban Control Centre
Police are urging motorists to avoid road rage situations.
"The public, especially drivers, are urged to always abide by the traffic rules and exercise patience while using public roads to avoid road rage situations," urged police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi.
The warning follows the murder of a man in a road-rage-related shooting in Emmarentia on Sunday. The man's wife was rushed to the hospital in a critical state.
Nevhuhulwi said on Sunday afternoon that two men were involved in a road rage incident.
"This led to a physical altercation. It is alleged that a female passenger, suspected to be the wife of one of the drivers, went to get a firearm from the car, and the second driver also pulled out his firearm, resulting in a shooting which claimed the life of the husband, while the other driver sustained minor injuries," she said.
Nevhuhulwi confirmed that a case of murder and attempted murder are under investigation.
In a recent case, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, set aside an earlier urgent, in camera order that prohibited the National Prosecuting Authority from charging Advocate Roeloff du Plessis SC with attempted murder following a 2023 road-rage incident in which a motorist was stabbed with a pocketknife.
It is alleged that du Plessis and Conrad Pretorius collided at a traffic light during load shedding. Pretorius crashed into Du Plessis's rear bumper, and an altercation ensued. Du Plessis claimed he stabbed Pretorius in self-defence.
Triggers that could lead to road rage include; speeding, tailgating, running a red traffic light, not using an indicator or traffic congestion, according to CarTrack.
CarTrack revealed that between July and September 2023, road rage was responsible for more than 1,200 deaths. Between October and December 2023, more road rage was responsible for about 1,702 attempted murders, 1,116 murders, and 27,918 assaults with grievous bodily harm.
Road rage, according to Arrive Alive is "an incident in which an angry or impatient motorist or passenger intentionally injures or kills another motorist, passenger or pedestrian, or attempts or threatens to injure or kill another motorist, passenger or pedestrian".
CarTrack issued the following tips to avoid road rage.
Domenic King, a community activist and managing director of Combined Community Watch, urged the public to keep a cool head when in a road rage situation.
"A vehicle is a piece of metal. People, please think carefully when you have your family with you, especially little children. Your piece of metal can be repaired or replaced but the trauma on a little kid can last a lifetime," he said.
IOL