Over 3000 arrested as hundreds die in festive road carnage

More than 3000 people have been arrested this festive season, as drunk driving and excessive speeding have been cited as among the major contributing factors to the ever-increasing number of road crashes.

Speaking to The Citizen on Wednesday, spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) Simon Zwane said more than 3 500 drivers have been arrested so far for transgressions which also include driving without licences or violating public transport permit requirements.

Over 100 dead on KZN roads

“Drunken driving, driving without licenses, unroadworthy vehicles, speeding, as well as reckless and negligent driving are factors that have contributed to crashes so far,” he said.

Over 100 deaths have already been recorded so far in KwaZulu Natal (KZN).

ALSO READ: Over 142 deaths on KZN’s roads since the start of the festive season

Zwane said complete statistics will be released once the process of quality assurance and validation has been completed.

While the country’s major roads were a bit quiet on Wednesday, Zwane said the situation is expected to change over the next coming days.

“The last peak is expected to be on Monday afternoon following the New Year’s festivities.

Plan ahead when returning home from holiday

“It is also encouraging to see that travellers are staggering their trips to avoid traffic congestion and this will also assist in reducing crashes and fatalities,” said Zwane.

Returning motorists are also advised to plan their trips carefully and expect delays along the way.

This time of the year has for the longest time been considered one of the busiest and deadliest.

ALSO READ: Fatalities on the road ratchet up

Last year’s festive season, revealed that road fatalities increased in seven provinces and declined in two.

The Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal are the only provinces that recorded a decline in fatalities, while the Northern Cape and Western Cape recorded the highest percentage increases in fatalities. 

A total of 1 685 fatalities were recorded over the festive period in question which is a 14% increase on the previous period.

The Eastern Cape recorded the largest decline in fatalities with a reduction of 7.9% or 210 fatalities compared to the same period in 2020, when it had 228 fatalities.