Increase in SA's mid-festive road fatalities

There has been an increase in mid-festive road fatalities, compared to 2023. Five hundred and twelve people died on South Africa's roads so far compared to 499 in 2023.

Briefing the media on Thursday, on the N1 at Touwsriver, Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy gave an update on the mid-Festive Season preliminary road safety report.

COURTESY: X - @TrafficRTMC

The report also focused on the Festive Season road safety campaign that commenced on 1 December 2024 and initiatives and plans that seek to reduce the number of the crashes and fatalities during this period.

Creecy says motorists use mobile apps to avoid roadblocks on major routes, adding that the so-called back routes saw an increase in accidents

The transport minister says the number of arrests has increased by 677 from 2023 to 3 063 in 2024.

She raised concerns about the number of motorists being three sheets to the wind. According to preliminary figures, more than 900 were arrested for drunk driving

‘’We remain concerned about the high number of people who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol and pedestrians who use roads recklessly. A total of 941 drivers were arrested for drunk driving while 230 were arrested for driving at excessive speeds. A total of 98 pedestrians were arrested for crossing the roads where it is not safe do to so,’’ said Creecy.

Despite efforts by traffic enforcement, the country has seen a significant increase in fatal road traffic crashes so far in the festive season.

A total of 439 fatal crashes have been recorded which is a 3.1 % increase when compared to 426 fatal crashes recorded in the same period last year.

‘’The majority of those who died were pedestrians (45.6%), followed by passengers (26.8%), drivers (26.7%) and cyclists (0.74%). Major crashes, where five fatalities were recorded from one incident, had a significant impact on the number of road deaths in this period. Four major crashes were recorded in the period under review with 30 fatalities.’’

Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo accounted for 70% of all fatalities in this period. Gauteng has the highest number of fatalities at 96 fatalities from 90 crashes, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 77 fatalities from 71 crashes, and the Western Cape with 74 fatalities from 61 crashes. The Eastern Cape and Limpopo both at 11%. The Northern Cape has the lowest number of fatalities with 4%

Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy says she met with all 9 MEC’s on Tuesday, and they have agreed to intensify efforts to safeguard those on the roads

Creecy noted that some provinces are experiencing difficulty in implementing the 24/7 shift system, and has instructed provincial authorities to implement a flexi-shift system to improve traffic officer visibility at all hours of the day.

She reminded everyone that road safety is everyone’s responsibility.

‘’We should continue to remain on high alert until everyone has returned from holidays and for every single day that we spend on the road,’’ said Barbara Creecy, Transport Minister.

 

Done by: Mitchum George