Road death statistics are deeply worrying
Figures released by Transport Minister Dipuo Peters in Pretoria yesterday show that road fatalities over the festive season increased by a staggering 14% on the previous year.
According to Peters, the preliminary figures show that 1 755 people died on South African roads from December 1 to January 11.
According to the Automobile Association (AA) these figures are alarming and concerning and they point to a need for concerted intervention to address the problem of road safety in our country.
“We are concerned by these figures which will undoubtedly increase once the final numbers are calculated.
“We expect that the final figures will be close to 2 000 deaths over the period.”
The association adds that they are deeply worried by these numbers and they extend their condolences to the families and friends of all who lost their lives during this time.
According to the AA, while several factors contributed to this figure, the over-riding reasons for the road deaths were poor driver attitude and a disregard for the law.
“Many causes such as drunk driving, speeding, driving without seatbelts and risky overtaking, have been forwarded as reasons for the fatalities, but all of these, essentially, point to poor driver attitudes.
“If drivers don’t take responsibility for their actions, and carry on making decisions that they know to be wrong for their own sake, these figures will simply not improve.”
In addition to improved driver behaviour, the AA believes that better, and stricter, law enforcement is needed.
Coordinated safe driving campaigns to educate all road users, aimed at reducing crashes and fatalities are also vital to bring the numbers down.
“Monday’s announcement is a unique opportunity for government to reaffirm its commitment to working with the various groups and non-government organisations who are working hard to improve road safety in our country.
“Many of these organisations need the support of government but too many initiatives fail to launch without sufficient government support.”
The AA also says it is important that government make available the latest in-depth statistics for annual road deaths in South Africa to enable road safety campaigners to assess which initiatives and interventions are working, and which are not.
“Unfortunately the data currently available is from 2011 and does not provide a clear indication of the trends of road deaths. Road crash statistics need to be widely available and accurate to ensure that everyone is working towards reducing crashes and fatalities through an understanding of the true nature of the current problem,” the AA concludes.
