According to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, a total of 1,451 individuals lost their life on the roads during the holiday season, a 13.9% decrease compared to the 1,685 fatalities in the previous year.
Mbalula told the media on Tuesday at the Grasmere Toll Plaza that the weeks of 15 to 21 December and 22 to 28 December had the most fatal accidents, with 327 and 316 fatalities, respectively.
Gauteng reported the highest number of road fatalities, an increase of 5.5% from 275 to 290, with the Boksburg tanker explosion contributing to the figures.
Mbalula stated that pedestrian fatalities remain a topic for worry, with Western Cape and Gauteng recording 54% of the total.
In addition, he provided feedback on measures to reduce road fatalities in 2022. At the Heidelberg weighbridge in December, he launched the 2022 holiday season road safety campaign, which aimed to prioritize and promote holiday road safety.
One of the primary goals of the program was to maintain a steady flow of traffic and discourage careless and irresponsible driving.
The minister also paid his respects to the victims of the Christmas Eve tanker disaster in Boksburg, which killed at least forty people. Numerous others are recuperating in hospitals throughout the province.
In 2022, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) reported that South Africa is witnessing an alarming outbreak of road-related mortality among its youth.
According to data compiled by the RTMC, 8,547 young people aged 21 to 34 will perish on the roads between 2019 and 2021.
In the three-year period, 3,661 people between the ages of 30 and 34 died as a result of motor vehicle collisions, making this age group the most vulnerable.
Persistent risk-taking behaviors, such as unwillingness to utilize safety belts, driving at excessive speeds, and driving under the influence of alcohol, are contributors to the high frequency of road fatalities among adolescents.
»Mbalula reports that Gauteng has the highest number of traffic fatalities«