Transport Minister to launch Easter road safety campaign

The Easter holiday season is characterised by high road traffic volumes.

Many undertake religious pilgrimages, while others visit various holiday destinations during the break.

Last year, 355 people died on the country’s roads during the Easter weekend.

READ: Tshwane sees spike in road deaths over Easter weekend

According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of fatal crashes at 52, followed by Gauteng with 49 deadly accidents.

The Transport Department is expected to outline plans to ensure adherence to road traffic rules and curb the carnage as traffic volumes on major corridors are expected to peak during this period.

In its Easter 2024 report, the RTMC said human factors contributed to the high percentage of fatal crashes.

“Human factors contributed 94.6% in 2024 Easter and 92.6% in 2023 Easter to fatal crashes. Human factors in fatal crashes remain a big concern,” read the report.

Within this category, hit-and-runs and jaywalking were the major contributory factors, at 24.5% and 20.8%, respectively.

When announcing the 2024/2025 festive season road deaths, Minister Creecy lamented the high number of pedestrians killed on South Africa’s roads.

The highest percentage of pedestrian fatalities was recorded in Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, which are the most populous provinces in the country in terms of vehicles and people.

"Gauteng had the highest pedestrian fatalities at 63.84%, followed by Western Cape with 53.9% and KwaZulu-Natal with 44.33%. Our message to pedestrians is clear - if you want to stay alive while using the roads, you must make sure that you do not consume alcohol and then walk on the roads; ensure that you are visible at night and walk in areas that are well lit; avoid jaywalking; and, cross the road at a pedestrian crossing or where it is safe to do so,” Creecy said at the time.

During this period, 1,502 people were killed on the country’s roads.

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