The Department of Transport has officially disclosed the Festive Season Road safety statistics, shedding light on the lives lost during the holiday period.
Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga expressed concern, stating, “Although we refer to this information on road safety performance as ‘statistics’, we are talking about breadwinners, professionals, mothers, fathers, and children who lost their lives needlessly on the roads largely due to in the main negligent behaviour. These are actual human beings whose hopes, aspirations and ambitions were dashed,” said Minister Chikunga.
Among the tragic fatalities mentioned by Minister Chikunga were renowned playwright Dr Mbongeni Ngema, Member of Parliament Alice Mthembu, Newcastle based medical doctors Dr Sondezi and Dr Mhlobo, Limpopo Provincial Traffic Inspector Kedibone Railo, and newlywed Pretty Matimba Mavundla.
In a sombre moment, the Minister called for a collective pause to observe a moment of silence, paying respect to the departed and offering prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Addressing the broader issue, Minister Chikunga highlighted that the Road Traffic Management Corporation and other stakeholders responsible for promoting road safety cannot rest when thousands of lives are lost on the roads, leaving lasting emotional and psychological scars, particularly on young children.
She underlined the economic impact of road crashes, fatalities, and injuries, emphasising the significant burden on health and social services, totalling billions of rands.
Furthermore, the Minister noted that the festive season of 2023-2024 was marked by heavy rainfall and storms, creating road challenges.
Some drivers, however, failed to adjust their speed in slippery conditions, resulting in avoidable crashes. Incidents in KwaZulu-Natal highlighted the tragic consequences of drivers insisting on crossing flooded bridges.
The festive season saw a notable increase in registered vehicles, standing at 13,133,035 on December 1, 2023, compared to 12,964,430 on December 1, 2022. Additionally, the total number of driving licenses issued rose to 15,343,067 in December 2023 from 14,897,925 in December 2022.
Detailed analysis of the crashes during the 2023/24 festive period revealed several trends:
- Most crashes took place between 7 pm and 10 pm, with the peak between 8 pm and 10 pm.
- Most fatalities were recorded on Sundays which is a new trend.
- Human factors contributed 80,8% of the crashes, and environmental factors contributed 10,4% as a result of heavy rainfall and storms. Whereas, vehicle factors contributed 8.8%.
- 40.9% of those who died were pedestrians, passengers accounted for 33.6%, drivers 24.6% and cyclists 0.8%
- The majority of those who died were between the ages of 25 and 44.
Chikunga further stated that the number of fatal crashes experienced over the 2023/24 festive period is 1 184 which represent a 2,3% decline compared to 2022/23 festive season where 1 212 crashes were recorded.
“This decline was made possible by the intensified law enforcement operations conducted and the high police visibility throughout the country. More than 1.4 million vehicles were stopped and checked in the period under review with 7 820 drivers arrested for among others driving under the influence of alcohol, inconsiderate and reckless driving, producing false documentation and excessive speeding,” said Chikunga.
The highest speed was recorded on N1 Settle Bridge in Limpopo where a driver was stopped and arrested for travelling at 225 kilometres an hour in a 120 kilometre zone.
A driver with the highest alcohol content was arrested on R409 in Butterworth in the Eastern Cape with a breath alcohol reading of 2.48 milligrams of alcohol per 1 000 millilitres of breath. This far exceeded the legal limit of 0.24mg alcohol per 1,000 ml of breath.
The top five traffic offences for which traffic fines were issued are speeding with 78 958 fines compared to 34 576 previously, driving without fastening a seatbelt with 27 552 fines compared to 29 769 previously, driving without a driving licence with 28 767 fines compared to 26 865 previously, driving an unlicenced vehicle by 34 896 motorists compared to 37 063 previously and driving vehicles with worn tyres with 17 335 fines issued compared to 13 671 previously.
“As a consequence of our relentless law enforcement as well as education and awareness campaigns, the number of people who died on the roads was reduced by 25 (1.7 percent) from 1 452 in the previous reporting period to 1 427 in the current period. Five provinces, the Free State, Eastern Cape, Northen Cape, Limpopo, and North West recorded fewer fatalities while other provinces recorded increases,” said the Minister.
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% per cent 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.
It is worth noting that the Eastern Cape is the only province that managed to surpass the target set for it to reduce fatalities by at least 18.6%. In light of this, we will have to have serious engagements with authorities in the provinces and possibly redefine the targets informed by objective dynamics and available resources on the ground in the provinces.
Going forward, Chikunga said the department would implement the resolution on the road safety summit held in December 2023, which includes among others improving road markings and demarcation for visibility in inclement weather conditions and enhancing vehicle sensors to read them.
“In addition, we will work towards designing road safety messaging framework that shows alternatives to drinking and driving (namely promoting ridesharing and alternate drivers). We have considered the introduction of compulsory in-service training on road safety for engineering graduates within municipalities as well as increasing investment on road safety research,” said the Minister.
She noted her Department will also need to have closer engagement with the Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal provinces as better resourced provinces to understand what needs to be done for them to improve.
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