Transport minister Fikile Mbalula has announced the 2022/2023 road fatalities statistics, painting a more positive picture than the years before.
Between 1 December 2022 and 11 January 2023, a total of 1,451 lives were lost on the country’s roads and while this is a harrowing fact, it’s a welcome 13.9% lower than the 1,685 fatalities recorded during the previous year.
Most deaths were recorded during the weeks of 15 to 21 and 22 to 28 December, with 327 and 316 incidents, respectively.
Road fatalities per province
All but one of the nine provinces in the country saw a decline in road fatalities over the festive period, with the Western Cape experiencing a staggering drop of 36.7% for a total of 131 deaths.
Gauteng, however, witnessed yet another increase of 5.5%, ending the period with 290 victims.
According to the minister, fatalities in the various regions were as follows:
- Western Cape fatalities down by 36.7% – From 207 to 131
- Mpumalanga fatalities down by 23.8% – From 189 to 144
- Northern Cape fatalities down by 21.5% – From 65 to 51
- North-West fatalities down by 21% – From 119 to 94
- Limpopo fatalities down by 20.8% – From 226 to 179
- KwaZulu-Natal fatalities down by 12.7% – From 275 to 240
- Eastern Cape fatalities down by 2.4% – From 210 to 205
- Free State fatalities down by 1.7% – From 119 to 117
- Gauteng fatalities up by 5.5% – From 275 to 290
Pedestrian deaths remain a major cause of concern as they are up 10% year-on-year, accounting for 41% of the casualties reported in the most recent holiday season.
“Simply put out of every 100 road crash fatalities, 41 are pedestrians,” said the transport minister. “In Gauteng and Western Cape pedestrian fatalities constitute 54% of all fatalities, implying that, of every 100 people that died from a road crash, 54 were pedestrians.”
On the brighter side, both passenger and driver fatalities decreased this year by 7% and 1%, respectively. Cyclist fatalities, too, saw a drop from 3% to 2% when compared to the previous festive period.
“Road users must at all times appreciate that the road is a shared space and drivers have the responsibility to look out for pedestrians and cyclists, while these road users must also behave in a safe manner,” concluded Mbalula.
Loading ...
