A single car accident in South Africa can cost the taxpayer an average of R2.57 million.
This is according to the Road Accident Fund (RAF), which recently published new statistics detailing the various vehicle-related accidents and deaths that have occurred within our borders.
A huge burden to bear
The RAF revealed that as many as 34,946 people were killed on the roads in South Africa between 2020 and 2022.
Of this figure, 13,963 of the fatalities (roughly 40%) were for individuals aged between 15 and 34, making the youth the most susceptible age group to be killed in a road accident.
This does not necessarily mean the persons were killed while driving, as 38% of the recorded deaths were for pedestrians, while another 35% accounted for those in the passenger seat.
“The youth, often characterized by high levels of mobility and risk-taking behaviour, are unfortunately overly represented in road accident statistics,” the RAF said.
People below the age of 34 account for around 4,654 fatalities each year, compared to the national average of 11,649 road deaths per year.
Furthermore, 63% of the claims submitted to the RAF were lodged by men, while 36% were made by women. The gender was not listed for the remaining 1% of cases.
By the end of 2022, the RAF, which is mainly funded through a R2.18 levy placed on every litre of fuel sold in South Africa, paid out approximately R43.13 billion in injury benefits for young accident survivors under the age of 34
In other words, youth road accidents cost the state an average of R14.37 billion per annum.
Over the same period, the Road Accident Fund paid out an additional R2.86 billion for death-related benefits – the equivalent of R956 million per year.
The average amount paid out for a youth-related claim over the three-year interval was R2,568,595.
When a person is injured on the roads in South Africa, they are able to approach the RAF to claim for the following: loss of earnings, general damages, past medical expenses, and future medical expenses.
The relatives of someone killed in a vehicle-related accident are also able to claim for funeral expenses, and loss of support if the deceased was a provider for a family.
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