The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) has raised growing concern over an apparent increase in serious motorbike-related incidents across the Fourways area, warning that both motorists and riders need to adopt safer behaviour to prevent further loss of life.

While formal, area-specific statistics for December 2024 to November 2025 require detailed extraction from Accident Unit records, JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla said operational observations reflect a noticeable rise in the number and severity of motorbike crashes.

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“We have observed a perceived increase in serious road incidents involving motorbikes. This trend is linked to higher traffic volumes and the sharp increase in motorcycles used for commercial deliveries and personal transport in the Fourways hub.”

Fihla said serious collisions generally fall into two major categories: motorist negligence and rider error.

Motorist behaviours include the common ‘Look But Fail to See’ (LBFTS) phenomenon at intersections, unsafe lane changes, and blind-spot failures. Among riders, excessive speed, loss of control on bends, and unsafe lane-splitting, especially at high speed or in moving traffic, remain the most frequent causes.

JMPD flagged several intersections as high-risk, which included Witkoppen Road and Winnie Mandela Drive, the N1/R511 interchange, and high-volume sections of Witkoppen and Main roads where quick-succession traffic lights and turn-offs complicate traffic flow.

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A recent fatal motorbike accident at the intersection of Winnie Mandela Drive and Sunrise Avenue claimed a motorcyclist’s life, highlighting the severity of the issue.

According to JMPD’s preliminary assessment, the Big Boy motorcycle allegedly failed to stop at a red light before colliding with a Toyota Hilux. The rider, an adult male of Burundian nationality, was declared dead on the scene.

Fihla said as part of JMPS’s Festive Season Safety Campaign, Operation Buya Mthetho, is intensifying speed enforcement, drunk-driving checkpoints, and monitoring of aggressive driving behaviour, factors that directly affect motorcyclist safety.

“We urge motorists to look twice at intersections and to give motorcycles a full lane’s space,” said Fihla. He also advises riders to wear reflective gear, ride defensively, obey speed limits, and avoid high-risk manoeuvres.

With traffic volumes expected to spike through the festive period, JMPD warns that preventing further tragedies will require shared responsibility, patience, and heightened awareness from all road users.

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