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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nOfficial statistics provide the clearest picture of accident trends and high-risk routes, particularly during the festive season when traffic volumes surge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Department of Transport and recent road-safety reports, several national and provincial roads consistently emerge as the country\u2019s most dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most dangerous roads, as outlined by the AA, are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- N1 (Pretoria to Polokwane, Cape Town to Johannesburg)<\/strong>: Heavy traffic volumes and reckless overtaking make this route a hotspot for collisions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- N2 (Cape Town to Durban, especially KwaZulu-Natal)<\/strong>: One of the busiest highways in the country, plagued by speeding, drunk driving, and pedestrian activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- N3 (Johannesburg to Durban)<\/strong>: A key holiday route to the coast, often congested with trucks and long-distance buses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- N4 (Pretoria to Mpumalanga and Mozambique)<\/strong>: Popular with tourists heading to Kruger National Park and cross-border travellers, with fatigue and speeding as major risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- N12 (Johannesburg to Kimberley)<\/strong>: An alternative to the N1\/N3, but long stretches without enforcement make it hazardous.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Provincial roads such as the R61 (Eastern Cape) and R71 (Limpopo)<\/strong>: Poor road conditions and mixed traffic (cars, taxis, buses) contribute to high accident rates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Naked Insurance co-founder Ernest North told BusinessTech that its claims data also reflects a small but notable increase in car accident claims in December and January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long-distance routes linking inland provinces with coastal towns see the biggest spike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This mirrors government data and reflects a familiar pattern: fatigued drivers, heavy holiday traffic, unfamiliar drivers negotiating new routes, and deteriorating road conditions all combine to raise the risks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Urban roads, by contrast, experience more stable accident patterns. As holiday travel picks up, road safety experts and insurers offer several practical guidelines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drivers should maintain awareness at all times by keeping a safe following distance, scanning mirrors and steering clear of visibly risky drivers. Alcohol and driving should never mix, as even small amounts impair reaction times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speed limits must be obeyed and adjusted for traffic, weather and potholes. Before any long trip, a basic vehicle check is vital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fatigue is a silent killer, making scheduled breaks every two hours essential. Overloading vehicles compromises control and braking, while seatbelts\u2014and proper child restraints\u2014remain non-negotiable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Travellers should also plan their routes carefully, avoiding damaged roads, peak congestion and severe weather when possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Department of Transport and other stakeholders have issued a serious warning about South Africa\u2019s most dangerous routes as millions prepare to take to the roads for the festive season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":804510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11119],"tags":[23011,6926,12513],"class_list":["post-846274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motoring","tag-2025-aero-south-africa-trade-show","tag-aa","tag-naked-insurance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=846274"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":846417,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846274\/revisions\/846417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/804510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=846274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=846274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=846274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Provincial roads such as the R61 (Eastern Cape) and R71 (Limpopo)<\/strong>: Poor road conditions and mixed traffic (cars, taxis, buses) contribute to high accident rates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- N12 (Johannesburg to Kimberley)<\/strong>: An alternative to the N1\/N3, but long stretches without enforcement make it hazardous.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- N4 (Pretoria to Mpumalanga and Mozambique)<\/strong>: Popular with tourists heading to Kruger National Park and cross-border travellers, with fatigue and speeding as major risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- N3 (Johannesburg to Durban)<\/strong>: A key holiday route to the coast, often congested with trucks and long-distance buses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- N2 (Cape Town to Durban, especially KwaZulu-Natal)<\/strong>: One of the busiest highways in the country, plagued by speeding, drunk driving, and pedestrian activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n