More than 700 people have died on South African roads since the start of the festive season.
Transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga released the midterm
2023/2024 festive season statistics on Friday.
PHOTO: X - @DotransportFive provinces — Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the
Eastern Cape and Western Cape — accounted for 80% of fatalities.
“Crashes have decreased by 0.8% compared with the same
period last year, leading to a 4.3% decline in fatalities. In total, 719
fatalities have been recorded in the first three weeks of the 2023/2024 festive
season compared with 751 in the same period last year,” said Chikunga.
The
transport minister said overloading of passengers, inconsiderate driving and
alcohol abuse were factors in collisions.
‘’423 roadblocks were conducted nationally in which 753,823
vehicles were stopped and checked; 173,307 infringement notices were issued; 1,333
vehicles were “discontinued”; 2,619 vehicles were impounded; and 3,573
motorists were arrested for various offences — 1,114 of them for drunk driving,’’
said Sindisiwe Chikunga, Transport minister.
Chikunga said most crashes occurred from 19:00 to 20:00, followed by 22:00 to 23:00 and
in the early hours of the morning between 01:00 and 02:00 and a new phenomenon
is the emergence of crashes between 9-11a.m, on usual days such as
Mondays & Tuesdays.
The Western Cape has
recorded 76 fatalities on the province’s roads since the start of the festive
season. This is one less compared to the same period in 2022. Thirty-four (45%) of the people who died were
pedestrians, 26 passengers (34%), 14 drivers (18%), and 2 motorcyclists (3%).
Western Cape Mobilty MEC,
Ricardo Mackenzie said many of the road crashes occurred in the Metro, Garden
Route, Cape Winelands, and on the West Coast.
‘’Many of the traffic
incidents causing these fatalities could have been prevented by simple actions that
the majority of road users follow: check your vehicle and tyres, buckle up, do
NOT drink and drive, do NOT speed or take chances overtaking dangerously, and
stop and rest when you are tired or every 200km,’’ said Ricardo Mackenzie,
Western Cape Mobility MEC.
‘’As we head into another
long weekend, we implore everyone travelling to take care prepare for being
safe on the road. Our preliminary analysis shows that a number of the fatal
crashes have involved drivers losing control of their vehicles. This suggests
they could have been distracted while driving, using their cell phone, or
falling asleep at the wheel,’’ he added.
Mackenzie said more
incidents are happening during the day, instead of at night time.
‘’Our team is monitoring this emerging trend closely, and we have appealed to road users to take just as much care during the daytime as they normally would at night.’’
For the first 20 days of
December 2023, traffic officials issued 35 951 fines for various traffic
violations ranging from driver to vehicle fitness, 673 speeding offences were
recorded, and 322 people spent time behind bars. Majority (226) were for
driving under the influence.
Driving under the influence of alcohol endangers lives. Traffic Law Enforcement joined by the Minister of Mobility @ricardomackenzi and various road safety stakeholders are in Swellendam, ensuring the safety of all road users. #PropsForCops #BoozeFreeRoads #SafelyHome pic.twitter.com/Flb3Oo7SZl
Done By: Mitchum George
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