Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has called on all South Africans to take personal responsibility for reducing crashes and fatalities on the country’s roads as the 2025/26 festive season begins.
Creecy launched the Festive Season Road Safety Campaign in
Kroonstad, Free State on Sunday, emphasising that safer roads depend on every
driver, passenger and pedestrian making responsible choices.
The theme for this year’s campaign, ‘It Starts With Me’,
reflects the critical role of individual behaviour in preventing loss of life.
“We have chosen this theme to highlight the point that each and every one of us has an important role to play in reducing road accidents and road fatalities,” Creecy said.
COURTESY: X - @DotransportShe stressed that most crashes are preventable and linked
to human behaviour. Creecy said the festive period required heightened
vigilance, as millions travel for holidays, family gatherings and year-end
celebrations.
The minister said for the first time in five consecutive
years, South Africa have this year managed to reduce the road death toll by 700
people. However, she cautioned that the overall numbers remained deeply
concerning.
“With over 9 400 fatalities on our roads already this year,
we all agree that the accident rate is much, much too high, and there is still
a lot more work that we have to do,” the Minister said.
The 365-day campaign is based on evidence gathered
throughout the year, which shows that human error accounts for nine out of ten
accidents. The provinces of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape
and Limpopo collectively account for the majority of fatal crashes. The
Minister said pedestrians account for more than half of all those who are
killed on the roads.
The campaign will focus on behaviour change, enhanced law
enforcement and 24-hour patrols in high-risk areas.
“Research shows weekends, late-night travel and fatigue
periods are high risk. We will increase roadblocks, checks for vehicle
roadworthiness, driver licenses, seatbelt and child-restraint use, as well as
clamp down on speeding and drunken driving,” Creecy said.
Priority routes identified by the department include the
N1, N2, N3, N4, N17, as well as notorious secondary roads such as the Moloto
Road.
Done By: Mitchum George
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