Mbalula Reveals Road Fatalities Declined by 3.1% Compared to 2020, but Human Factor Remains Main Cause for Crashes

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said the number of fatalities on the country’s roads this year has declined by 3.1% compared to 2020.

Mbalula released the preliminary festive season fatalities statistics on the R80 Mabopane Highway in Soshanguve on Wednesday. 

The Minster said human factor still remains the main causal factor for most of the crashes during this period. 

“Statistics reveal that people who died on our roads this year were passengers at 35% followed by pedestrians at 34%, drivers at 26% and motorcyclists at 1% and bicycle riders at 1%.” 

Mbalula said most fatal crashes occur between Friday and Sunday during the early hours of the morning and early evening. 

“We have seen a 142% spike in crashes with multiple fatalities, resulting in 17 such crashes for far this year compared to 7 over the same period. The number of fatalities from major crashes also increased from 34 last year to 111 this year.” 

The Minister revealed that fatalities increased in five provinces with exception of the Free State, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo.

Mbalula said that Despite the grim statistics, thousands of road users continue to respect the law and obey the rules of the road adding that this is a responsibility we must all take seriously in order to make a difference and ensure that our roads are safe to travel on.