Preliminary statistics relating to the Easter season indicate that over 16 road fatalities have been recorded on Gauteng roads of which eight are pedestrians.

According to Gauteng Traffic Police spokesperson Sello Maremane this is for the period of their Easter Road Safety campaign from Thursday, April 14 to Monday morning, April 18. This number may rise as the rest of Monday still needs to be taken into account.

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Maremane said fatal road crashes are largely attributed to the attitude and behaviour of road users.

Drunk driving, reckless and negligent driving, speeding, unsafe overtaking, public transport overloading and vehicle fitness are among the other challenges that compound the situation on Gauteng roads.

“The Gauteng Traffic Police through its Road Safety Education unit will continue to conduct activations in various corridors to encourage road users to use the road responsibly to prevent unnecessary road injuries and deaths resulting from road traffic crashes. The Gauteng Traffic Police will also be on high alert to deal decisively with road traffic violations.

“The Gauteng Traffic Police extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends who lost their loved ones, and wish a speedy recovery to all those who are receiving medical treatment due to injuries sustained in various crashes this Easter weekend.”