Fatalities involving pedestrians account for 47% of road deaths: Creecy

Pedestrians account for 47% of road deaths, according to transport minister Barbara Creecy.

Creecy on Tuesday briefed the media on Tuesday on the release of the 2025 Easter Weekend Road Safety Report. 

“This shocking reality indicates our message to pedestrians is not reaching home and we have to do much more work at a local level where these accidents occur,” she said.

This year's Easter break had the lowest number of crashes and fatalities in the past three years:

• crashes were reduced from 209 in 2024 to 141 — a 32.5% drop. All provinces recorded decreases except the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.
• fatalities were reduced from 307 in 2024 to 167 — a 45.6% decrease. All provinces recorded decreases in fatalities except Mpumalanga, which recorded a 27.3% increase.

Creecy highlighted law-enforcement efforts from April 17 to 21:

• 177,584 vehicles were stopped and checked;
• 44,505 traffic fines were issued;
• 2,018 vehicles were discontinued; 
• 1,536 vehicles were impounded;
• 941 drivers were arrested for drunk driving;
• 89 drivers were arrested for excessive speeding; 
• 12 pedestrians were arrested for jaywalking; and
• eight drunk drivers were arrested for attempting to bribe officers. 

The highest speed was recorded at Planknek in Limpopo, where a motorist was stopped while driving at 214km/h in a 120km/h zone.

Creecy said her department believes it will be possible to meet the target to reduce crashes and fatalities by at least 50% by 2029.

This year's Easter safety campaign included the Little Eden NGO's CEO wheelchair campaign which challenged company CEOs and directors to spend a work day in a wheelchair in partnership with MasterDrive. Little Eden offered examples as powerful reminders of the far-reaching effect a single moment on the road can have.

When Sipho was involved in a car crash in 2020 his life changed after eight months in hospital. At 14 years old he was diagnosed with a severe intellectual disability. In 2022 his family turned to Little Eden, determined to give him the best chance at a meaningful life. The active and engaged pupil had struggled to fit into a traditional school setting.

According to Little Eden, Sipho not only found support but also a sense of purpose and, despite his challenges with language and executive functioning, he quickly became one of the most vibrant and outgoing residents at Elvira Rota Village.

Susan's life changed when she was involved in a car crash when she was three months old. At the time, the car driver tried to avoid a dog. The car rolled and Susan was thrown from the vehicle. Miraculously she survived, but the accident left her with lifelong disabilities — unable to walk, speak or fully understand her environment.

At the age of six her parents decided to admit her to Little Eden where she would receive the specialised care she needed. Though she cannot communicate in conventional ways, she is a woman of great strength, enjoys the simple pleasures in life, such as having her nails painted during beauty time or laughing when something amuses her.

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