Road death statistics questioned
JOBURG- The number of deaths on the country’s roads this festive season has decreased slightly, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters announced.
Peters released the preliminary 2013/2014 festive season death toll report, which revealed that there had been 1 147 accidents and 1 376 fatalities during the period from 1 December 2013 to 7 January 2014.
Last year, 1 465 people died in road accidents during the festive season. However, the statistics, which were released earlier than expected, have sparked allegations that the ministry was being “dishonest”.
Prior to the announcement, the Democratic Alliance said the festive season reporting period would only end on 13 January, adding that the ministry was releasing the road death figures prematurely.
As a result of the early release, the figures would exclude potential fatalities during the busy upcoming weekend, when many people will return home before schools re-open, the DA’s Ian Ollis said.
He added that the figures released on 9 January will not be an accurate indication of road fatalities during the festive season.
Ollis accused the ministry of being dishonest, claiming that the figures were released prematurely in an attempt at damage control, following concerns that the figures could be the highest in years.
Peters was not clear about why the figures were released earlier than normal.
She said that during the festive season 745 782 vehicles were stopped at 845 road blocks across the country.
She said a total of 3 170 drunk drivers were arrested and a further 69 were arrested for dangerous and negligent driving during these road blocks.
Peters said that human error was a major contributor to deadly crashes, adding that often the causes of accidents were the result of avoidable and manageable behaviour such drunk driving, speeding, driver fatigue and reckless overtaking.
In Gauteng there were 223 crashes with 268 fatalities; Gauteng was the province with the second highest accident and fatality figures.
KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest figures with 237 crashes and 284 fatalities.
Other provincial road accidents figures were as follows: 158 crashes and 190 fatalities were recorded in the Eastern Cape, 101 crashes and 121 fatalities in the Free State, 112 crashes and 134 fatalities in Limpopo, 36 crashes and 43 fatalities in the Northern Cape, 73 crashes and 88 fatalities in the North-West, 95 crashes and 114 fatalities in the Western Cape, and 112 crashes with 134 fatalities in Mpumalanga.
