Festive season road death toll continues to rise in Gauteng and Eastern Cape

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Gauteng traffic police say that over 150 people have lost their lives on the province’s roads over the festive season.

Law enforcement officials have been out in their numbers to try and curb road accidents and fatalities.

Traffic into Gauteng is picking up as holiday-makers return ahead of schools re-opening next week.

Gauteng traffic spokesperson, Sello Maremane says they have have seen seen some major crashes: “We have had some major crashes, over 143 crashes as of the 1st of December until now which have resulted in over 150 people losing their lives. The most vulnerable group are our pedestrians. We see a lot of people loitering and pedestrians crossing the roads when it is not safe to do so. Secondly, it’s high speed from our motorists. Lastly, fatigue becomes a problem especially truck drivers who are driving long distances without taking a rest.”

Meanwhile, traffic authorities in the Eastern Cape are concerned about the sharp rise in deaths on the roads since the start of the festive season.

The death toll on the province’s roads now exceed 150.

However, this number was just 41 two weeks ago.

Spokesperson for the provincial transport department, Unathi Binqose, says the leading cause of accidents is human error: “We are seeing a spike in traffic volumes especially on our national roads. The N2 to Cape Town, N2 to KZN, N6, N9, up towards Gauteng. We have deployed a lot of foot soldiers to be deterrent to those who are irresponsible. We are calling on road users and drivers to take extra responsibility.”