Road fatalities over Easter holidays up by 14% from last year

A 14% increase from last year in the number of road fatalities in the country over the Easter holidays was announced by Transport Minister Blade Nzimande today.

He said a total of 510 fatalities were recorded from 29 March to 9 April, 2018, which represents a 14% increase compared to the 449 who died in the same period in 2017.

Nzimande said most crashes happened on Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 5pm and 8pm.

The fatalities per province are as follows:

• 111 in KwaZulu-Natal
• 89 in Gauteng
• 80 in Limpopo
• 59 in the Eastern Cape
• 49 in Mpumalanga
• 34 in both the North West and the Western Cape
• And 27 in both the Northern Cape and the Free State

Nzimande’s deputy, Sindi Chikunga said the cost of road accidents on the South African economy is over R300 billion.

Nzimande said it is very concerning that some unwarranted behaviours continued unabated, which can be demonstrated by the arrests of 6 435 drivers who were caught speeding, 3 208 who were driving unlicensed vehicles, 300 who were driving without driver’s licences, 2 344 drivers without fastening seatbelts and 1 698 who were driving vehicles with worn tyres.

“We are disappointed by not meeting the 10% reduction in fatalities that we had set for ourselves. However we will not lose hope,” Nzimande said.

He said the department wants to see more results in dealing with corruption and fraud committed at Driver Learner Testing Centres (DLTCs) and driving schools.

Nzimande said the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) together with the provinces will develop a road safety plans focusing on areas such as impaired and dangerous driving.

With the upcoming long weekend from 27 April to 1 May 2018, Nzimande urged road users to exercise caution on the roads.

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