Easter road traffic stats: Fatalities down, but Mbalula worried about increase in pedestrian deaths

• During the Easter weekend, 235 people died on the roads, which is down by 9.6% when compared to 2019.
• The 2021 statistics were compared to 2019, and not 2020, because of the restriction on interprovincial travel.
• Of the road fatalities, 35% were pedestrians, which is a 5% increase from 2019.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula is concerned about the increase in pedestrian deaths as the country recorded a total of 235 road fatalities over the Easter weekend. 

On Thursday, Mbalula released the 2021 Easter road traffic statistics, which saw a 5% increase, compared to 2019, in the number of pedestrians killed.

"One of the major disturbing elements emerging from the information gathered is the vulnerability of pedestrians and passengers. At least 35% of the people, who died on the road, were pedestrians.

"Their vulnerability manifested itself in the following: drinking and walking, including jaywalking, crossing the roads at dangerous points, informal settlements situated alongside busy roads and intersections," said Mbalula. 

For analysis purposes, the 2021 statistics were compared to the 2019 statistics, instead of 2020, because of the lockdown and interprovincial travel restrictions.

This Easter, 189 crashes were recorded nationally, which is down by 2.1% when compared to 2019.

Fatalities were also down by 9.6%.

"This means that we have made headway in reducing the number of crashes, in general, and fatalities, in particular. You would have seen that, in the provinces, the number of crashes has gone down during this period, and the number of fatalities, province by province, during the weekend, also went down," he said.  

There was an increase in traffic volumes on major routes leading out of Gauteng, with the N3 recording 151 143, the highest number, passing through the various tollgates. 

"There were no fatalities on Thursday when traffic volumes peaked, but it spiked on Friday, between 18:00 and 22:00, when people had reached their destinations and were indulging in weekend activities, which include alcohol consumption," said Mbalula. 

A total of 336 roadblocks were conducted over the Easter weekend - 178 053 vehicles were stopped, and 32 070 traffic fines were issued. 

"The figures for this past Easter long weekend indicate that our efforts in law enforcement are yielding positive results. They also demonstrate that our message is reaching the intended audience. The majority of road users are heeding our call to make road safety their personal responsibility," he said.