This follows the release of the figures by Transport Minister Dipuo Peters in Pretoria on 12 January which showed that road fatalities over the festive season increased by a staggering 14 percent from the previous year. According to the minister, the preliminary figures show that 1 755 people died on South African roads from 1 December last year to 11 January this year.
AA spokesperson, Layton Beard, said these figures were alarming and concerning and they point to a need for concerted intervention to address the problem of road safety in the 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 this period. We are deeply worried by these numbers and extend our condolences to the families and friends of all who lost their lives during this time,” Beard said.
The association said many causes such as drunk driving, speeding, driving without seat belts and risky overtaking, have been put forward 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,” the AA noted.
In addition to improved driver behaviour, the AA believes that better, and stricter, law enforcement is needed. The association said that traffic law enforcers needed to come down harder on violations. Co-ordinated safe driving campaigns to educate all road users aimed at reducing crashes and fatalities, were also vital to bring the numbers down. “This announcement is a unique opportunity for the 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 the government, but too many initiatives fail to launch without sufficient government support,” Beard said.
The AA also said it is important that government makes the latest in-depth statistics for annual road deaths in South Africa available 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 everyone is working towards reducing crashes and fatalities through an understanding of the true nature of the current problem.”
