Easter road fatalities 'decline'

Briefing journalists at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) offices in Hatfield, Minister Peters said while this was no cause for celebration, the country should pat itself on the back for the reduction in fatalities on the roads over the Easter weekend.

Minster Peters said this following road traffic enforcement over the Easter weekend, where major freeways - the N1, N2, N3 and N4 - were under pressure due to an increase in the number of vehicles travelling towards various destinations across the country.

"The figures for this past Easter long weekend indicate that our efforts in law enforcement are yielding some positive outcomes.

"This also shows that our messages are reaching the target audience and that road users too are heeding our call to make road safety their personal responsibility," she said.

One fatality is one fatality too many

Announcing preliminary figures compiled by the Road Management Traffic Corporation (RTMC), Minister Peters said the agency recorded a total of 148 crashes, which unfortunately resulted in 193 fatalities nationwide.

These figures were based on figures captured between Thursday 17 April at midnight and Monday 21 April at midnight.

"If we make a reference to the two previous years, in 2012 we recorded 181 crashes which resulted in 217 fatalities and in 2013 we recorded 201 crashes which resulted in 241 fatalities.

"This therefore means we have made headway in reducing the number of crashes in general and fatalities in particular. This is despite that there is growth in both the population size in general and fatalities in particular," she said.

She said the decline in both road crashes and fatalities were an indication that government was making progress in achieving the 2020 global target of halving road fatalities.

The minister also said that she remained concerned at the high number of pedestrian fatalities that were recorded, which accounted for 40% of the total fatalities.

She said going forward, the RTMC, in conjunction with provinces and municipalities, will usher in a new National Rolling Enforcement Plan as part of "Make Road Safe Campaign" in line with the 365 days for road safety campaign approach.

She said traffic law enforcement officers across the country would stop and check no less than one million vehicles and drivers every month.

A minimum of 10,000 drivers will be screened for alcohol per month as part of operation "Tshwara-Setagwa" (meaning arrest drunkards).

"We are establishing a new multidisciplinary task-team to compile road traffic statistics.

The team

"The team will include the Department of Transport, the RTMC, provincial heads of transport departments, departments of health, Statistics South Africa, CSIR and SALGA, amongst others," the minister said.

She commended law enforcement officers in all spheres of government - the SA Police Service, the Department of Defence, Emergency Medical Services, private sector partners and road safety activists and volunteers - for their tireless efforts during the Easter long weekend.

"To those who are still refusing to comply, your days are numbered. It is just a matter of time before we catch you and remove you from our roads for you are a danger to yourselves and the society at large.

"We express our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to those who sustained injuries," the minister said.