Africa-Press – South-Africa. A total of 225 people were killed, in 185 accidents, on the country’s roads over the four-day Easter long weekend.
This was a big increase on the 161 deaths recorded over the same period last year.
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said there had been an increase in fatalities in all provinces, except for Mpumalanga, Western Cape and the North West.
“We congratulate these provinces for work well done,” she said.
Nearly half of those killed (44.4%) were pedestrians, while 27.7% were passengers, drivers 25.6%, and cyclists 1.3%.
“Our efforts to stem the tide of fatalities on our roads will not falter. We have taken strides that have brought us closer to classifying traffic policing as an essential service of a 7-day, 24-hour job across the country, a move which will transform the face of traffic law enforcement and ensure sustained visibility on the roads,” Chikunga said.
The Automobile Association (AA) described the rise in road deaths as “horrific”, saying it pointed to a lack of proper road safety intervention and implementation by the government and the agencies responsible.
It noted that Chikunga had spoken of rolling out a 365-day road safety campaign, classifying traffic policing as an around-the-clock job.
“The new minister must, however, ensure the implementation of these initiatives is done without delay, and we call on her, the Department of Transport, and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) – the lead agency responsible for road safety in South Africa – to keep citizens informed on the progress of implementation,” the AA said.
It added that the department and the RTMC should also work to improve road safety education in schools and implement better road safety campaigns throughout the year.
“Our belief has always been that intensive traffic law enforcement at specific times of the year will not change driver behaviour. Sustained and visible traffic law enforcement must be supported by road safety education in schools, and through awareness campaigns targeting motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Sadly, these elements are conspicuously absent from our country’s road safety programme and must be prioritised going forward.
“Road safety remains a national crisis in South Africa and unless our government and the agencies responsible for road safety improve their approach, our dire road fatality statistics will not decrease.”
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