EC road deaths drop 7.9% over holidays
The Eastern Cape was one of only two provinces to record a decline in road fatalities during the festive season, transport minister Fikile Mbalula said on Tuesday.
Over the 42 recorded days, 210 road fatalities were recorded, which marks a 7.9% decrease from last year.
The only other province to see road deaths decline was KZN, while fatalities in every other province increased.
In total, 1,685 fatalities were recorded nationwide, an increase of 14%. we ’“What ve had is more most fatalities concerning per crash is that this year than compared to previous periods,” Mbalula said.
“The main causes of fatalities during the festive period were jay walking, speeding, wet or slippery road surfaces, overtaking across barrier lines and poor visibility.”
According to Mbalula, 79% of fatal crashes over the festive period were due to human factors.
“The competence of our drivers leaves much to be desired,” he lamented.
“The fact that an overwhelming majority of fatal crashes were because of a single motor vehicle overturning and head-on collisions requires us to pay serious attention to the competence of our drivers.”
Law enforcement was kept busy over the festive season, with 651 road blocks established across the country and 264,690 fines being issued.
“Of particular interest is that 21,431 fines were for drivers who refused to wear seatbelts, while 22,766 were for people who were driving without licences,” said Mbalula.
Traffic officials arrested 6,169 motorists, with 1,520 arrests due to driving under the influence of alcohol.
A further 605 drivers were arrested for breaking the speed limit.
In addition, 4,251 unroadworthy vehicles were discontinued and a further 4,073 impounded.
“We have just concluded one of the most challenging festive season campaigns.
“We stretched our resources to the limit, putting strain on our law enforcement operations,” Mbalula said.
He congratulated law enforcement for their work during the festive season and warned motorists that the traffic department would be cracking down on enforcement in 2022.