2017/2018 Festive season road accidents decrease

By Farzana Chaumoo

The Minister of Transport, Joe Maswanganyi, released preliminary stats on road incidents from the festive season. The preliminary stats for road fatalities displayed a 10% decrease in road deaths when compared to the same period a year ago (2016/2017).

Maswanganyi said, "An impressive 43% decline in fatalities was recorded on the Top 13 identified hazardous routes with 244 deaths recorded compared to 429 in the previous period.

However, there was a disturbing increase in the number of fatalities within the municipal boundaries of eThekwini, Johannesburg, Nkangala, Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, Ehlanzeni, Capricorn, City of Tshwane, Thabo Mofutsanyane and Bojanala."

Data tallied was during the dates of the 1^st December 2017 and 15^th January 2018.

Pedestrian fatalities

The highest recorded amount of fatalities this festive season came from pedestrian death which increased from 34% to 37%.

According to the Minister, there was a noteworthy decline in fatalities for pedestrians aged between 25 to 34. For those aged between 35 and 44, there was "a disturbing increase".

Passenger safety

Driver fatalities increased from 23% to 27% while passenger fatalities dropped from 41% to 35%. From these stats, there was an increase in drivers between the ages of 25 and 34 and a decline in those aged between 35 and 49.

MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, said, “There is a misconception amongst many South African passengers that they do not need to wear a seatbelt as a rear passenger.” However, Maswanganyi believes that the decline in passenger deaths was due to an increase in seatbelt usage. Stats for passenger deaths were also down to 41% as compared to last year’s 35%. It was concluded, from tests done in the States by the Institute for Highway Safety, unsecured passengers are twice as likely not to survive a crash. At the time of impact, unsecured rear passengers are propelled into the front seat occupants with force that can kill. 

Let us just reiterate that it is illegal not to wear a seatbelt and that it also puts all occupants at risk of serious injury or death. Every driver should ensure that all his/her passengers are wearing seatbelts, no matter where they're seated. 

MasterDrive hosted an event for safety and it was shocking to find that many schoolchildren didn’t know how a seatbelt worked.

DUI Decrease

"While drunken driving was a major focus area during the period under review, there was, however, a decline in the number of motorists arrested for drunken driving from 5943 in the 2016/17 period to 3301 in the 2017/18 period."

Arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol also dropped by 44%, yet +3 000 people were still arrested for drunken driving. This number is still high, considering the many facilities and options available to the public. We repeatedly question why don’t you make alternate arrangements to get yourself home if you know you’re going to be drinking. It’s not about the driver alone, it’s about putting all road users lives in danger and that is unacceptable.

Traffic violations

Traffic violations dropped from 453,263 in 2016/2017 to 304,603 for 2017/2018. These include violations such as the wearing of safety belts and the number of discontinued vehicles.

According to Maswanganyi, speed continued to be a major headache with 922 drivers arrested compared to 785 in the 2016/17 period. Five motorists were arrested in Limpopo, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and Western Cape for driving at speeds exceeding 220km/h in 120km zones.

Curbing 2018 road fatalities

Maswanganyi also said that in line with the proclamation signed by the President, the RTMC (Road Traffic Management Corporation) will work alongside the Special Investigating Unit to further investigate unlawful and improper conduct, regarding the registration and licensing of motor vehicles and driver’s licenses. The Minister wants to ensure that road crashes and fatalities are further reduced, following what was achieved this festive season.