Perhaps some motorists may feel that the laws governing South Africa’s roads are there to make life more difficult and cumbersome for them. On the contrary, they are there to protect people on the road from any drivers who endanger them with their reckless driving. When we read on further about the annual carnage taking place on our roads, it makes us realize how important the rules of the road are.1
Tragic loss of life during the 2021 festive season1
A shocking 1 685 people died on South Africa’s roads at this time, which was 14% more compared to a year ago. This death toll is the equivalent of almost five Boeing 747s filled to capacity crashing over this period.
What were fines issued for? 1
Out of a total of 264 690 fines, 21 431 were issued for those not wearing seatbelts, whilst another 22 766 were issued for drivers without licenses.
Non-roadworthiness is serious1
A total of 4 251 vehicles were found to be non-roadworthy, and 4 073 vehicles were impounded. Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula mentioned that driving without a licence incurs a heavy penalty, as otherwise, the proposed AARTO point demerit system would become meaningless.
Drunken driving1
Out of the arrests of 6 169 motorists, 1 586 were for drunken driving.
What about those speeding? 1
A total of 605 motorists were arrested for speeds ranging from 190 km/hour to more than 220 km/hour. One driver was even caught doing 225 km/hour in Limpopo.
What caused road fatalities? 1
Human-related factors such as not wearing a safety belt, drinking alcohol, excessive speeding, and ignoring road signs caused 79% of road fatalities, with vehicle problems and road conditions causing 10% and 11%, respectively, of remaining fatalities.
How did some provinces fare?
The number of fatalities in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal had decreased, but unfortunately, the greatest increase in deaths occurred in the Northern Cape and Western Cape
Pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists killed1
Pedestrians were also killed on roads due to jaywalking. These fatalities fell from the previous 41% to 31%, while driver fatalities rose from 27% to 28%. Cyclist fatalities rose from 1% to 3%.
Northern Cape showed the highest increase1
The Northern Cape’s road fatalities increased by 95% for this period, whilst it was 55.6% increase for the Western Cape. Northwest Province showed a 25.3% increase, compared to the 24.3% increase for Mpumalanga and 16.5% increase for Limpopo. The second smallest increase recorded was 15.5% in Gauteng, with the smallest increase occurring in the Free State.
Mbalula warned that the freight and taxi industries need to reduce road crashes as there are many more lives involved in a taxi crash than a passenger car crash.
Every road fatality is one too many, and road travellers, whether pedestrians, cyclists or drivers and passengers, need to be protected by strict law enforcement and education. But how well is your car protected by adequate car insurance, which is affordable and offers excellent benefits too? If not sure, contact PMD for more information on their affordable car insurance products.
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This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.