There has been a notable decline in road crashes and fatalities leading up to and during the Easter weekend, transport minister Barbara Creecy has reported, attributing the improvement to intensified law enforcement and co-ordinated road-safety measures across the country.
On Good Friday, 291 road deaths were recorded, down from 356 during the same period last year.
However, the roads remained deadly in some areas. Yesterday, a head-on collision between an SUV and a sedan on the R67 between Seymour and Whittlesea in the Eastern Cape left five people dead and a 13-year-old boy hospitalised. On the same day, two people died in an early morning collision on the road between Polokwane and Lebowakgomo in Limpopo.
Creecy urged motorists to adhere strictly to the rules of the road. “To all drivers: your actions can save lives — or cost them. Let us choose responsibility,” she said.
The minister noted that most provinces recorded improvements, with the exception of the Free State and Eastern Cape. Gauteng, Limpopo and the Northern Cape saw the sharpest declines, with reductions of up to 47% so far.
The minister attributed the progress largely to increased enforcement operations, which included 321 roadblocks and the stopping and checking of more than 374,000 vehicles. Authorities also arrested more than 500 motorists for drunken driving, 14 for speeding, and 93 pedestrians for jaywalking on freeways.
Despite the positive trend, Creecy said she was concerned about ongoing reckless behaviour on the roads.
“It has been noted during this period that many motorists were involved in excessive speeding, driving without fastening seat belts, driving without a licence, and operating unroadworthy vehicles,” she said.
Traffic volumes have surged along major routes, particularly the N1, as thousands travelled to the Zion Christian Church in Moria in Limpopo and to neighbouring countries.
“To manage this, law enforcement has been intensified, including the deployment of the National Traffic Police to ensure visibility day and night,” Creecy said. Officers would operate around the clock in three shifts, focusing on main routes, including the N1, N3, N4 and N12.
Due to budget constraints, deployments had been concentrated in Gauteng and Limpopo, Creecy said.
She added that authorities had noted positive progress, with the number of crashes and fatalities between March 20 and March 30 showing a reduction.
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