Death on the roads
22 December 2009, 07:31
By Poloko Tau
Holiday road deaths show a steadily rising graph, with a significant increase in lives lost since the beginning of December when compared with the same period last year.
According to a Transport Department report released yesterday, there had been 619 deaths recorded from 478 fatal crashes between December 1 and 20. The department said this figure was made up of 169 drivers, 242 passengers and 208 pedestrians.
Figures are now being released by the department every Monday.
Around the same period last year, the department had reported a 50 percent decline in road fatalities, saying 438 people had died then, compared to 887 lives lost during the same period in 2007.
With eight days left before the new year, road deaths were by yesterday standing at almost half the 1 348 deaths recorded for December last year - which was a decrease of 175 from 1 523 deaths over the same period in 2007.
The department said law enforcement agencies were working tirelessly on the roads, with more than 450 000 cars and drivers stopped and checked between December 1 and 20 as part of the festive season's Arrive Alive road safety campaign.
Department spokesman Sello Tshipi said more than 2 500 drunk drivers had been arrested in the process.
A traffic officer, seven police officers, four soldiers and four teachers as well as a prosecutor and a medical doctor were among those arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Tshipi said 62 motorists had been arrested for drinking and driving in roadblocks in Soweto, Randburg and central Joburg on Friday alone.
He said more than 500 drunk drivers had been arrested in the Eastern Cape and 404 in KwaZulu-Natal since December 1.
More than 1 000 unroadworthy vehicles have been taken off the roads, including 250 buses and 200 taxis, while more than 250 000 motorists have been fined for speeding.
Officers were also not lenient on thousands of drivers who were fined for not wearing seatbelts and other offences.
Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele has warned road users to "obey the rules or pay the price".
"We want to warn road users to obey all road rules or face the consequences of their actions," Ndebele said.
The minister urged South Africans to work together with the government "to save families from the untimely trauma of road deaths".
"Roads deaths are not accidents, but are avoidable and deadly incidents. It is for this reason that we are calling for a partnership against road deaths (throughout the year)."
Paramedics carefully lined up three dead bodies on the side of the N1 South highway yesterday morning as peak-hour traffic crawled past.
They died around 6am when the rear tyre of a taxi burst, causing the vehicle to roll and skid along the busy highway on its roof and hit a bakkie.
The bakkie was travelling in the same direction, about 500m before the Rivonia off-ramp. The collision caused a traffic back-up that lasted several hours.
Holiday road deaths show a steadily rising graph, with a significant increase in lives lost since the beginning of December when compared with the same period last year.
According to a Transport Department report released yesterday, there had been 619 deaths recorded from 478 fatal crashes between December 1 and 20. The department said this figure was made up of 169 drivers, 242 passengers and 208 pedestrians.
Figures are now being released by the department every Monday.
Around the same period last year, the department had reported a 50 percent decline in road fatalities, saying 438 people had died then, compared to 887 lives lost during the same period in 2007.
With eight days left before the new year, road deaths were by yesterday standing at almost half the 1 348 deaths recorded for December last year - which was a decrease of 175 from 1 523 deaths over the same period in 2007.
The department said law enforcement agencies were working tirelessly on the roads, with more than 450 000 cars and drivers stopped and checked between December 1 and 20 as part of the festive season's Arrive Alive road safety campaign.
Department spokesman Sello Tshipi said more than 2 500 drunk drivers had been arrested in the process.
A traffic officer, seven police officers, four soldiers and four teachers as well as a prosecutor and a medical doctor were among those arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Tshipi said 62 motorists had been arrested for drinking and driving in roadblocks in Soweto, Randburg and central Joburg on Friday alone.
He said more than 500 drunk drivers had been arrested in the Eastern Cape and 404 in KwaZulu-Natal since December 1.
More than 1 000 unroadworthy vehicles have been taken off the roads, including 250 buses and 200 taxis, while more than 250 000 motorists have been fined for speeding.
Officers were also not lenient on thousands of drivers who were fined for not wearing seatbelts and other offences.
Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele has warned road users to "obey the rules or pay the price".
"We want to warn road users to obey all road rules or face the consequences of their actions," Ndebele said.
The minister urged South Africans to work together with the government "to save families from the untimely trauma of road deaths".
"Roads deaths are not accidents, but are avoidable and deadly incidents. It is for this reason that we are calling for a partnership against road deaths (throughout the year)."
They died around 6am when the rear tyre of a taxi burst, causing the vehicle to roll and skid along the busy highway on its roof and hit a bakkie.
The bakkie was travelling in the same direction, about 500m before the Rivonia off-ramp. The collision caused a traffic back-up that lasted several hours.
- This article was originally published on page 2 of The Star on December 22, 2009
Pretoria
