A deadly mix of heavy rain and reckless or drunken driving brought an abrupt end to the festive season for many holidaymakers making their way home this weekend.
The SA Weather Service has warned of an increase in road fatalities compared with last year, due partly to the adverse conditions. Heavy rainfall forecast for the next few days was expected to add to motorists’ woes, especially on the most congested routes.
“For this festive season, a higher number of road fatalities than previous years has already been reported and the SAWS, in collaboration with the RTMC, would like to urge motorists, pedestrians and the public to be extra vigilant and careful on the roads during these conditions to prevent the further loss of lives,” the SAWS said in a statement on Friday.
“Incidents of heavy rain are expected across the eastern regions of the country towards midweek, though clearance is on the cards across the central region. Vigilant and safe driving should remain in force.”
The Road Traffic Management Corporation has reported 7,448 festive season arrests for motoring offences ranging from drunken driving to bribery.
Drunken driving continues to plague the country’s roads, with 455 arrests for suspected drunken driving in the Eastern Cape alone during December, according to the RTMC.
“The highest breath alcohol level recorded was 2.47mg/1,000ml on the R61 in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape on December 27,” the RTMC said in a statement.
“The highest speed recorded was in Limpopo on the N1, a motorist was caught driving at 209km/h in 120km/h zone on December 17. As of January 1, a total of 1,157,032 vehicles were stopped and checked by road traffic authorities as part of the festive season enforcement plan aimed at promoting safety on national roads. Officers issued 408,783 written charges for various traffic violations and 6,034 vehicles were discontinued.”
The Eastern Cape transport department reported more than 150 road fatalities since the beginning of December. Spokesperson Unathi Binqose said many fatal crashes were head-on collisions.
The N3 toll road reported traffic flow on Friday of 1,800 vehicles an hour heading northbound to Gauteng, with 1,200 an hour heading the other way towards KwaZulu-Natal. These figures were expected to increase on Sunday as many holidaymakers prepare to start work next week.
The traffic migration back home coincides with continued heavy summer rainfall across much of the country, with record downfalls in some places.
Final fatality figures for the holiday season have yet to be released, but based on figures released so far they are likely to show an overall increase compared to last year.
Mid-season figures released by transport minister Barbara Creecy on December 20 showed 439 fatal crashes countrywide resulting in 512 deaths — a 3.1% and 2.6% increase on last year’s crash and fatality figures at the same point.
Among the latest reported fatal incidents was a bus accident in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday involving members of the Nazareth Baptist Church (Shembe church) whose bus caught fire near Ndwedwe.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for transport and human settlements Siboniso Duma has confirmed a team will investigate the cause of the accident, which claimed the life of one person and left more than 50 injured.
Last week 13 people, including eight family members travelling to a wedding in Nkandla, died in two separate crashes in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday and Monday. The eight family members travelling to the wedding died when the minibus they were in overturned and rolled down an embankment.
KwaZulu-Natal premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said: “This heartbreaking incident is a painful reminder of the need for drivers to exercise caution and responsibility on the roads. These senseless road carnages rob families of their loved ones and leave communities in mourning.”
The Western Cape mobility department on Saturday reported a total 106 fatal crashes and 122 fatalities on municipal and provincial roads during the festive period from December 1 to January 3. The provincial figures are slightly lower compared with last year.
“While these figures represent an improvement compared to the same period last year, they underline the critical need for heightened road safety efforts,” the department said in a statement.
“The majority of the fatalities were passengers, pedestrians and drivers, in that order. Notably, 51 of the incidents involved pedestrians, and 21 were identified as hit-and-run cases.”
TimesLIVE
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