Road accidents kill 156 in SA during Easter holiday

CAPE TOWN — A total of 156 people died on South African roads during the Easter holiday, a sharp decline from the same period last year, according to figures released yesterday.

The deaths represent a much-welcomed 46% decline in road deaths between 24 March and 28 March, compared with the same period last year, minister of transport Dipuo Peters said in the preliminary Easter 2016 Road Safety Report.

During the Easter holiday last year, South Africa reported 287 fatalities.

With the exception of the Northern Cape Province which recorded the same number of fatalities as last year, all other provinces recorded a decrease in the number of fatalities, Peters said.

Notably, the North West recorded the highest decrease of 71% with the number of fatalities reduced from 28 to 8. It was followed by the Free State with a decrease of 52%, fatalities reduced from 23 to 11. KwaZulu Natal experienced a drop of 49% with fatalities reduced from 55 to 28.

This sharp decline was achieved in spite of an increase in the number of registered vehicles in the country by 333 226 (3%), Peters said.

The total number of registered vehicles in February 2016 stood at 11,7 million.

“While we welcome the reduction in fatalities this Easter, we do however believe that we still have a long way to go. A big milestone reached but our task is not done yet. For as long as there are people dying on the roads, our work must and will continue,” the minister said.

She attributed the decline to the police’s zero tolerance and no mercy for traffic violations on the road.

It is very concerning that some unwarranted behaviours continued unabated and this has been ably demonstrated by the successful arrests of 913 for drunken driving and 502 who were caught speeding, she said.

Also yesterday, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) welcomed the report, saying this success was attributed to the Department of Transport’s rigorous road safety awareness initiatives, which together with increasing accountability by road users is yielding the desired outcomes.

“One misdemeanour on our roads is one too many and thus the ANC remains concerned by these statistics. We call on all motorists to ensure that their modes of transport are road worthiness, and that they don’t drink and drive. Their safety is of paramount importance,” said the party.

Road carnage is a daily phenomenon, particularly during holidays in South Africa, which is among the countries that have the highest road facilities in the world.

The country has more than 700 000 crashes a year on average, with three children dying every day in road accidents.

The festive holidays usually have the highest rate of road deaths, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation.

Worldwide, the number of people killed in road traffic crashes each year is estimated at almost 1,2 million, while the number injured could be as high as 50 million.