Over 1,700 people died on South Africa’s roads over the festive season
1,714 deaths were recorded on South African roads over the 2016/17 festive season, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters revealed on Tuesday.
This is a 5% increase in fatalities over the same period last year, with over 800 of the recorded fatalities occurring in early December alone.
The majority of fatal crashes were as a result of a single motor vehicle overturning and head on-collisions. KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Limpopo accounted for 61% of the total number of these fatalities.
It was the two public-holiday weekends and wet weather that caused the biggest logistical issues, Peters said, as the country’s roads saw a marked influx of traffic over these days.
The holiday period also saw over 432 roadblocks conducted throughout the country with a staggering 453,263 fines issued for a number of offences.
Plans are already in place to try and reduce fatalities during the next holiday season, Peters said.
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