Only halfway into the festive season, 512 people have been killed on South African roads, with pedestrians bearing the brunt of incidents.
This was an increase compared to the same period last year where 499 people died. The majority of the deaths were pedestrians at 45.6%, followed by passengers at 26.8%, drivers 26.7% and 0.74% were cyclists.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy provided an update on the 2024 festive season road safety campaign on Thursday.
The briefing began with a moment of silence for those who lost their lives in road crashes and a message of speedy recovery to those who were injured.
The ministry launched the safety plan on the first of this month.
“It is regrettable to report that in spite of all the efforts we have made to heighten law enforcement through the effective co-ordination of law enforcement operations by the Road Traffic Management Corporation, we still have seen a significant increase in fatal road traffic crashes so far in the festive season.
“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. It is worth noting that Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo accounted for 70% of all fatalities in this period,” said Creecy.
Gauteng recorded the highest number of deaths at 19%, followed by KZN at 15%, and 14% in the Western Cape.
The Eastern Cape and Limpopo both accounted for 11%, the Free State 10% and Mpumalanga 9%. Among the tragic incidents was a major crash on the N9 just outside Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape where 15 people were killed.
According to Creecy, despite challenges experienced with the inconsistent implementation of the 24/7 shift system by provinces, pedestrian behaviour as well as the conduct of truck and public transport drivers, their festive plan was yielding some firm results.
A total of 941 drivers were arrested for drunk-driving, while 230 were arrested for driving at excessive speeds.
There were 98 pedestrians arrested for crossing the roads where it is not safe to do so.
“The number of arrests has increased from 2 386 recorded in 2023 to 3 063, again confirming our view that there has been an improvement in the enforcement of the rules of the road. However, we remain concerned about the high number of people who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol and pedestrians who use roads recklessly.
“In the coming days, we will intensify our efforts to drastically reduce pedestrian and passenger fatalities by shifting our focus from the main arterial routes to increased policing inside suburbs, townships and villages. Law enforcement operations focusing on drunken-driving and the wearing of seat belts will also be increased. We will also move the focus from roadblocks to visible patrols on all routes including alternative or secondary routes,” she said.
Cape Times