“A total of 162 people perished on our roads this year compared to 235 last year, resulting from 134 fatal crashes this year compared to 189 the previous year. Most of the crashes occurred on Friday and Saturday,” Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has said.

The Minister made these comments during the release of the preliminary statistics for the recent Easter weekend where he also provided an update on the driver licence extension of the grace period.

“The success we have achieved this Easter will add momentum to our efforts to reduce road fatalities by 25% by 2024.  Improving our law enforcement capability and visibility, as well as upscaling public safety campaigns will continue to gain traction.

“We have made a commitment to make a telling difference in our law enforcement interventions by ensuring that our officers act without fear or favour while maintaining constant high levels of visibility 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” the Minister said at a media briefing at the Grasmere Toll Plaza.

Mbalula said all provinces recorded a decline in fatalities, except for the Western Cape and Mpumalanga.

The Western Cape recorded a 30.8% increase from 26 fatalities in 2021 to 34 this year while Mpumalanga recorded a 27.8% increase from 18 road fatalities the previous year to 23 this year.

Other provinces recorded a decline in road fatalities in the following manner:

• KwaZulu-Natal registered a 61.1% decline from 54 road deaths the previous year to 21 this year.
• Northern Cape registered a 57.1% decline from seven road fatalities the previous year to three this year.
• Free State registered a 53.8% decline from 13 deaths the previous year to six this year.
• North West registered a 45% decline from 20 deaths the previous year to 11 this year.
• Limpopo registered a 44.1% decline from 34 deaths the previous year to 19 this year.
• Gauteng registered a 33.3% decline from 36 deaths the previous year to 24 this year.
• Eastern Cape registered a 25.9% decline from 27 deaths the previous year to 20 this year.

“Our analysis shows that while the trend of fatalities per time of the day continues to show that most fatalities occur at night, a new phenomenon was noted this Easter with fatalities showing a sharp spike in the early hours of the morning between 4am and 5am,” the Minister said.

This includes the bus crash that occurred on the N1 near Leeu Gamka on Good Friday.

A total of 2 395 traffic fines were issued for speeding this year compared to 5 923 last year while 3 494 motorists were fined for operating unlicensed vehicles compared to 5 677 the previous year.

Meanwhile, 2 134 drivers were fined for driving without fastening seatbelts this year compared to 2 351 the previous year.