South Africa’s festive season road deaths: a call for behaviour change
“Drivers and pedestrians must change their behaviour. We must obey the law, we must obey the basic rules of the road,” said Transport Minister Barbara Creecy when releasing the preliminary festive season statistics on Monday.
This after she revealed that 1 502 people died from 1 234 fatal crashes during the 2024/25 festive season.
“The number of fatalities represents a year-on-year increase of 5.3% (70) compared to the 2023/24 festive season, with a 4.2% (50) increase in the number of crashes. This is most regrettable, more so because it reverses the incremental strides made in recent years,” Creecy said.
She said six provinces recorded increases in the number of fatalities in the 2024/25 festive season compared to 2023/24, namely KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Northern Cape and North West.
“The Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State recorded increases of 70, 54 and 21 fatalities as compared to 2023/24 while Gauteng, Western Cape and Mpumalanga recorded decreases of 76, 23 and 15 fatalities respectively,” Creecy said.
She noted that 18 major crashes resulted in 134 fatalities, while minibuses were involved in 53% of major crashes.
Creecy said pedestrian fatalities remain a concern with 41% of all road fatalities being pedestrians.
She said Gauteng, the Western Cape and KZN recorded the highest pedestrian fatality percentage.
“Gauteng had the highest pedestrian fatalities at 63.84% followed by Western Cape with 53.9% and KwaZulu-Natal with 44.33%.”
Creecy said she asked provinces to conduct a detailed analysis of their respective statistics and come up with a clear plan for the way forward when they reconvene at the end of January. This will include a look at severe consequences for those who continue to show a disregard for road safety.
“We will continue to direct our efforts at changing the behaviour of road users, invest in designing and engineering safer roads, enforcing safe speeds in high congestion areas, and enhancing emergency response systems and access to quality trauma care which is essential to saving lives,” Creecy stated.
She said by reducing response times and improving the availability of critical care, they can increase survival rates and reduce the long-term impacts of road traffic injuries.
She also said indications are that the implementation of 24/7 traffic policing shifts is more critical than ever.
“During the festive season we agreed to release National Traffic Police resources to provinces, to intensify road safety communication and education campaigns and strengthen monitoring of our law enforcement operations, especially at night,” Creecy said.
“This approach will serve as a blueprint for our road safety activities but will only succeed if it is consistent all year round, especially on weekends and in every province across the country.”
Meanwhile, Retail Motor Industry Organisation strategy and corporate support CEO Ipeleng Mabusela said: “Beyond ongoing educational campaigns to change driving behaviour, we believe more must be done, particularly regarding vehicle maintenance and roadworthiness.”
On vehicle maintenance, Mabusela said regular maintenance is essential. Neglecting vehicle upkeep can lead to mechanical failures, contributing to road accidents.
“Proper vehicle care is a proactive step towards preventing avoidable incidents. Drivers must ensure their vehicles are in optimal condition before hitting the road.”
He said in South Africa, private vehicles are only tested for roadworthiness upon change of ownership. Vehicles used for reward, such as taxis and trucks, undergo annual tests, while buses are tested every six months.
“As a result, approximately 13 million vehicles, mainly motor cars and station wagons, do not undergo regular testing. Only about 21% of our total vehicle population is regularly tested. In countries where this regime has been implemented, ensuring vehicle safety and roadworthiness on a periodic basis, the data proves testing has contributed positively towards the curtailing of road accidents and ultimately, injuries and fatalities,” Mabusela explained.
He said another safety issue is the increasing number of salvage vehicles returning to the roads without adequate safety checks and a comprehensive accident history.
“The lack of a complete vehicle history from cradle to grave hinders industry efforts to establish transparency and disclosure, opening the doors to a safer mobility solution that benefits all stakeholders and builds confidence within the automotive value chain.”
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za