1.7% drop in road fatalities over festive season

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One thousand four hundred and twenty-seven people were killed in road crashes across the country over the festive season. This was announced by Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga during the release of the 2023/24 festive season road traffic statistics.

According to the Minister, this was a 1.7% decrease, as compared to the 2022/23 festive season, when 1 452 people were killed on the country’s roads.

Over the 42-day period from the 1 December 2023 until the 11 January this year, more than 1400 people tragically lost their lives on the country’s roads.

Minister Chikunga highlighted that drunk driving remains the main cause behind road accidents, followed by reckless and negligent behaviour on the road. Chikunga says that whilst some provinces witnessed a decline in road fatalities, many others saw a staggering increase.

“The provincial breakdown of fatalities is as follows: Free State recorded a 27.4% decline, Eastern Cape recorded a 21.5% decline, Northern Cape recorded a 15.7% decline, Limpopo recorded an 8.4% decline, North West recorded a 2.1% decline, Gauteng recorded a 7.6% increase, KwaZulu Natal recorded a 4.2% increase, Mpumalanga recorded a 9.7% increase, Western Cape recorded a 22.6% increase.”

Chikunga says most fatal crashes over the festive period were recorded during the first, third and fourth week of December.

“Most of the crashes occurred in the first week (December 01 to 07), the third week (December 15 to 21) and the fourth week (December 22 to 28). Most crashes took place between 19h00 and 22h00 with the peak between 8 in the evening and 9 in the evening.”

Meanwhile, 40% of the people who were killed on the country’s roads over the festive period were pedestrians. Minister Chikunga says most of the people who lost their lives were aged between 25 and 44 years-old.

“Forty point nine percent of those who died were pedestrians, passengers accounted for 33.6%, drivers 24.6% and cyclists 0.8%. It will be noted very sadly that the majority of those who died were between the ages of 25 and 44 and I can tell you that these in the main would have been young boys.”

Minister Chikunga’s briefing on the latest traffic stats: