Criminals are placing spikes on roads causing motorists to stop or crash and then rob them.
Captain Maredi on Tuesday warned motorists against this trend, saying “I want to inform all people traveling on the R55 national road to be extra cautious when using the road.”
Maredi told Laudium Today that there was an incident on the R55 in Centurion on Monday around midnight where a motorist reportedly spotted spikes on the left lane near River Runs Thru.
Maredi also warned motorists not to stop for anyone pretending to be stuck or hitchhiking and they will continue to conduct law enforcement operations in the area.
Gauteng Traffic Police also warned motorists, saying it had noted a rise in incidents of spikes being placed strategically on freeways.
Gauteng “traffic police spokesperson Sello Maremane said that the hard objects were thrown from bridges, resulting in motorists losing control of their vehicles, or being involved in unnecessary accidents. They are then robbed of their belongings.
Maremane said the department has identified hotspots where this was happening. These included:
the N4 Mpumalanga to Pretoria between Solomon Mahlangu and Watermeyer off-ramp;
the N4 Pretoria to Mpumalanga between Bronkhorstspruit and Balmoral off-ramp;
the N1 Polokwane and N4 Mpumalanga interchange in Pretoria;
the N4 to Rustenburg between the R80 Mabopane Freeway and Brits plaza tollgate; and
Golden Highway and the R21 Freeway from OR Tambo International Airport to Pretoria.
