The risk of festive season road deaths and injuries is higher this year because of the four-day Christmas weekend followed by the New Year’s long weekend‚ Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said.
In a “Festive Season Message” released on Tuesday‚ Peters said the “festive season period is generally characterised by high traffic volumes in different routes of South Africa with fatalities over this period remaining unacceptably high”.
Her message was released after the Department of Transport (DoT) announced earlier on Tuesday that 845 people have died on the country’s roads between December 1 and December 19‚ a 17% increase on the same period last year.
The increase was described by the Automobile Association (AA) as worrying and dismaying‚ and it said the country’s festive road fatality numbers could be the worst in several years.
Despite those statistics‚ Peters pleaded: “Let us use the festive season to reaffirm our commitment to the UN Decades of Action for Road Safety which seeks to stabilise and reduce road fatalities by 50% in 2020. Let us be more considerate in word and in deed. “Our call for road safety should reverberate throughout the length and breadth of our beautiful country: in our homes‚ in our workplaces‚ in hospitals‚ in places of worship and everywhere! Most importantly‚ this call to end road deaths must be heard on our country’s streets‚ freeways‚ shebeens‚ recreational venues and by-ways‚” he said.
The shebeen mention would likely reverberate with the AA‚ which noted that 2509 people were arrested for drunk driving in Gauteng alone during the period‚ calling this "another shocking statistic given the clear messages regarding alcohol use and driving" prior to the start of the festive season.
Peters said: “Let us also take time to pay tribute to our traffic law enforcement officers‚ the South African Police Service‚ South African National Defence Force‚ Emergency Medical Services and health practitioners who will be working to give off their time to ensure that our laws are implemented and offer their services that people on our roads are safe‚ secure and comfortable.”
“I am appealing to all South Africans to note that those who do drunk driving‚ excessive speeding‚ negligent and the overall transgression of the National Traffic Act and Traffic Regulations will be punished.
“Let us respect each other on the road and be responsible road users. Remember the roads are a shared space.”
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