Easter remains one of the busiest travel periods on South African roads, with traffic volumes peaking as thousands of vehicles travel through major routes such as the N1 and N3. 

With this in mind, the Association for Alcohol Responsibility and Education (Aware) recently partnered with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to launch the ‘Never Alone’ campaign. 

The campaign aims to reinforce that safe road behaviour is a shared responsibility. 

To support this, Aware has launched its online drunk-driving simulator, allowing users to see the road through the eyes of a driver under the influence. 

The organisation hopes this tool will help motorists to better understand how alcohol affects reaction time, co-ordination and decision-making. 

Drunk driving 

Mokebe Thulo, the CEO of Aware, says that when we talk about drunk driving, we often focus on the person behind the wheel, but every decision on the road affects more than one life. 

“It affects the other drivers sharing the road, families waiting at home and entire communities. Prevention starts when we recognise that every decision on the road carries shared consequences,” she adds. 

South Africans’ biggest road worries  

Aware’s simulator lets drivers test themselves, but locals have their own concerns about the busy Easter roads. Caxton Network News reached out to communities across South Africa via Caxton Media’s local newspapers’ Facebook pages to find out what their ‘biggest worry behind the wheel’ is this Easter.  

Commenting on Vryheid Herald’s Facebook post, Johan Bauermeister said ‘potholes and potheads’, while Linda de Jager expressed concern about ‘potholes and reckless, drunken drivers’.  
  
Also on Vryheid Herald’s Facebook post, Alida Venter said: “Driver fatigue and showing no patience, overtaking dangerously, risking head-on collisions. The three most dangerous road issues are pedestrians, reckless overtaking and alcohol and speed.”  

On Caxton Network News’ Facebook page, Sorita Kleyn said: “Definitely the heavy traffic.”  

On Boksburg Advertiser’s Facebook page, Glynnis Rolfe said: “Total lawlessness of drivers who do not obey the rules of the road.”  

Lack of driving skills 

In KZN, on Zululand Observer’s Facebook page, Talitha Lindeque said she’s worried about ‘other motorists’ lack of driving skill and logic’, while ‘people on their phones and drunk driving’ is Rick Crouch’s concern, who posted on Highway Mail’s Facebook page.  

Mark Worsfold commented on South Coast Herald’s Facebook page: “People driving without due care for others. The list is endless, unfortunately! People need to just slow down, obey the rules of the road, and be courteous to others. Then driving on our local roads would be a much nicer experience.”  

Many people across the country are worried about petrol and diesel prices and fuel shortages.   

Dean Odendaal posted on South Coast Herald’s Facebook page that he is worried that ‘we cannot get diesel on the way or on the return trip home’, while Folepe Lawrence Mokoena posted on Soweto Urban’s Facebook page that he is worried about the ‘petrol price’.  

Statistics 

In a statement, Aware says that statistics from last Easter and the December festive season showed a decline in both crashes and fatalities due to increased enforcement, improved awareness and more responsible behaviour.  

“This progress is fragile, and without consistent behaviour change, gains can quickly reverse,” says Aware.  

According to the Department of Transport, statistics for the Easter period last year showed that crashes reduced from 209 in 2024 to 141 in 2025, a 32.5% decrease compared to 2024. 

 Fatalities decreased from 307 in 2024 to 167 last year, a 45.6% decrease. 

“All provinces recorded decreases in fatalities except Mpumalanga, which recorded a 27.3% increase compared with 2024. Twenty-eight fatalities were recorded in Mpumalanga compared with 22 in 2024,” says Barbara Creecy, the minister of transport. 

She added that 177 584 vehicles were stopped and checked, with 941 drivers arrested for drunken driving and 89 drivers arrested for excessive speeding. 

Highest contributor 

RTMC’s State of Road Safety Easter 2025 report recorded that the highest contributors to fatal crashes were KZN and the Western Cape at 16.77% each, followed by Gauteng and the Eastern Cape at 15.48% each. These four provinces contributed 64.52% of all fatal crashes. 

The report showed that during the 2025 Easter weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday accounted for 71% of fatal crashes. 

Plan your trip 

Aware advises motorists to plan their trips as it remains one of the most effective ways to reduce risk.  

“Deciding who will drive, arranging a lift or choosing to stay over are all choices best made before the first drink. These are simple decisions, but they are the ones that prevent harm,” adds Aware. 

Road safety strategy 

Aware says South Africa’s National Road Safety Strategy, which seeks to reduce road fatalities by 50% by 2030 in line with the United Nations Global Road Safety Strategy, depends not only on policy but on everyday decisions made by drivers across the country. 

Stepping up law enforcement 

Simon Zwane, the spokesperson for the RTMC, says Easter is one of the most dangerous times on our roads. He says the department will step up law enforcement operations nationwide to save lives. 

“While exact national figures vary, provinces such as KZN are deploying over 3 000 officers to high-risk routes, with similar operations planned across the country. There will be zero tolerance for drunk driving, speeding or reckless behaviour,” he adds.  

Zwane urges all road users to make responsible choices. 

“One poor decision can have life-altering consequences for you and others,” he adds.  

Watch: Don’t become a statistic

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