The National Department of Transport on Thursday released the preliminary results of the 2025/26 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign and the overall road safety outcomes for the 2025 year as a whole. Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy, briefed the media and revealed that there was a five percent reduction in both fatalities and crashes for this year’s festive season, compared to the same period in the previous year.
‘’This year, a total of 1 427 fatalities were recorded from
1 172 crashes this year. The data shows that the 2025/26 festive season
recorded the lowest number of crashes in five years, and the same number of
fatalities as in 2023/24 festive season. Five provinces reported reductions in
fatalities with the highest percentage reduction recorded in the Eastern Cape
followed by the Free State. Four provinces namely Gauteng, Western Cape,
Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape recorded increases in fatalities,’’ said Creecy.
‘’There was a noticeable increase in the number of crashes
and fatalities from 15 to 28 of December. These two weeks contributed more than
forty percent to crashes and fatalities This re-confirms that festive season
crashes and fatalities increase once travellers have reached their destinations
and are engaging in festivities rather than during the peak travel periods.’’
COURTESY: X - @DoTransportAccording to the department, many of the crashes happened
over the weekend at night between 19H00 and 21H00 and between midnight and
01H00. They involved collision with pedestrians, hit and run, single vehicle
overturns and head-on collisions. The highest number of pedestrian fatalities
were reported in the City of Cape Town, City of Johannesburg, eThekwini,
Nkangala District and the City of Tshwane
‘’The types of vehicles that contributed to most of the
crashes were small motor cars with (55 percent), followed by light delivery
vehicles. (20 percent),’’ said Creecy.
‘’Minibus vehicles and trucks were involved in only seven
percent and six percent of crashes respectively. Over the festive season our
combined law enforcement officers conducted 1 632 roadblocks in which 1.8
million vehicles were stopped and checked. More than 450 000 traffic fines were
issued, 525 were arrested for excessive speeding. Roadblocks and vehicle
inspections targeted roadworthiness, driver fitness, and licensing,’’ she
added.
Driving under the influence of alcohol remains a concern
for the department. A total of 173 695 drivers were tested for driving under
the influence of alcohol and 8 561 of these tested positive, a 144 percent
increase on the same period last year. Creecy said the highest alcohol reading
was recorded in KwaZulu Natal where one motorist recorded breath alcohol
content fourteen times above the legal alcohol limit. Furthermore, the highest
speedster was arrested in the Northern Cape where he was clocked at 222
kilometres an hour in a 120-kilometre per hour zone. This year our officers
also arrested 89 motorists for attempting to bribe traffic officers to avoid
arrest.
COURTESY: X - @DoTransportA total of 11 418 fatalities were recorded from 9 674
crashes in 2025 compared to 12 581 fatalities from 10 633 crashes in 2021.
Furthermore the 2025 crashes decreased by six-point four (6.4) percent when
compared to 2024 and fatalities decreased by six-point two (6.2) percent in the
same period
Creecy thanked various stakeholders which has resulted in
this decrease in accidents in achieving a 50 percent reduction in accidents and
fatalities by 2030
Speeding, and drunk -driving remain the major cause of road
accidents. According to the transport minister, Barbara Creecy, it is mulling
on changing the law for driving under the influence of alcohol.
‘’Our driving and drinking policy was formulated almost 30
years ago. In today’s South Africa it is
totally unacceptable that there is a law that allows people to drink and then
drive. I have never understood this. I cannot explain this to anyone who has
lost a parent, a brother, a sister, a child as a result of a road accident.’’
‘’The time has come for us to amend the law so we have a
clear-cut, easy to understand and unambiguous policy that says drinking and
driving is not allowed A law that allows drivers to drink a certain amount and
get behind the wheel of a car must be scrapped. So we will begin an amendment
to section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act. If nothing else we owe this to
the memory of the many fellow South Africans who have lost their lives on our
roads,’’ said Barbara Creecy, Transport Minister.
Done by: Mitchum George
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