Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula addresses media in Pretoria. Picture: Gallo Images/Phill Magakoe
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says there has been a significant spike in crashes that resulted in multiple deaths across South Africa’s roads since December started.
Releasing the preliminary festive season road safety statistics, Mbalula said he was concerned about the number of major crashes despite the slight decrease in deaths compared to the previous year.
“Year-on-year, the number of fatalities has marginally declined by 3,1% from 848 in 2020 to 822 this year. We are seriously concerned about the high number of major crashes, where five or more people perish in a single incident,” the minister said during a media briefing on Wednesday.
Mbalula indicated that the country has seen a 142% spike in multiple fatality crashes.
“[This resulted] in 17 such crashes so far this year, compared to [seven] over the same period. The number of fatalities from major crashes also increased from 34 last year to 111 this year,” he said.
Human error, the minister highlighted, remained the most common contributor to road accidents.
“Statistics reveal that people who died on our roads this year were passengers at 35%, followed by pedestrians at 34%, drivers at 26%, motorcyclists at 1%, and bicycle riders at 1%,” he said.
ALSO READ: Six injured in KZN crash, another vehicle ploughs into wreckage
Mbalula further pointed out that the vehicle types that had the most contribution to fatal crashes included minibuses, light delivery vehicles, and trucks.
He added that most fatal crashes happen during the early hours of the morning and early evening between Friday and Sunday.
The minister said statistics showed that fatalities increased in five provinces excluding Free State, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.
“Despite these grim statistics, it is important to note that thousands of road users continue to respect the law and obey the rules of the road.
“This is a responsibility we must all take seriously in order to make a difference and ensure that our roads are safe to travel on,” he said.
READ MORE: ‘Horrible’ head-on collision between two taxis leaves at least 13 dead
The minister said there was an increasing number of travellers on the roads, which results in a high number of traffic violations.
He indicated that more than 2,600 drivers were arrested for various offences including drunk-driving and excessive speeding.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.