South Africa: 512 Accident Deaths and 941 Arrested for Drunk Driving Just on December Month

Since the beginning of December more than five hundred people have lost their lives on the nation’s highways. Barbara Creecy, the minister of transportation disclosed that number in the preliminary road safety report for the middle of the holiday season. 

On December 19th Creecy gave the numbers at a press conference on the N1 route near Touws River. Creecy mentioned in her speech that since December 1st, there have been 426 accidents on the nation’s roadways as of December 19th. 512 persons have already lost their lives as a result. By December 22 of last year, 719 people had lost their lives on the nation’s highways. The minister also mentioned that pedestrians accounted for 45% of the fatalities. 

She stated, “There has been an increase in accidents and also an increase in fatalities. There is a three per cent increase in serious accidents, with a total of 426 crashes that involved fatalities since 1 December. Forty five per cent of those who have died are pedestrians.” 

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The minister also mentioned how many people are driving while drunk. She clarified that more than 3,000 people have been arrested during the 561 roadblocks that have been held so far this month itself. Of those drivers, 941 were taken into custody for driving under the alcohol. 

Creecy added that it was important to note that the majority of the incidents occurred in five provinces. The Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Gauteng provinces have accounted for 70% of all road deaths to date. So far, the Eastern Cape alone has seen some horrific mishaps. A collision between an SUV and a minibus taxi near Graaff-Reinet on December 16 resulted in the deaths of fifteen passengers. 

In just three weeks, the province has recorded 63 traffic crashes due to an increase in traffic loads. Almost 200 traffic cops have been stationed in the province’s accident zones.