The start of the month of December signals the start of the much-awaited festive season we have all been secretly yearning for, probably since the end of the last festive season.

This holiday season on South African roads is also synonymous with serious and sometimes deadly accidents that steal the joy from families and friends of those involved in fatal vehicle crashes.

While some can walk away from vehicle crashes with their lives intact, they likely do so with life-altering injuries. In some instances, the accidents could have been avoided if one had not had that tempting ‘one last drink’ before getting behind the steering wheel or more cautiously sent their vehicle in for a safety check before embarking on a long-distance trip.

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Such precautions can mean the difference between life and death; the difference between becoming a statistic or not being one.

The Government’s Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act shows that the government is equally concerned about the carnage on our roads. The act, whose implementation has been postponed to July 1, 2026, provides for the penalisation of drivers and operators of motor vehicles who are guilty of road infringements through a system of demerit points. The demerit system can result in the suspension or cancellation of driving licences.

The Act’s system involves demerit points being allocated according to the severity of infringements committed. Under the system, vehicles are not punished by the system, but the operator or juristic person is held responsible for the use of the vehicle.

The nationwide rollout of the act, which is also aimed at promoting safer roads through a uniform system of traffic law enforcement across the country, was meant to start on December 1 this year. However, the Department of Transport has said that the deferment of the implementation date is due to the time needed to finalise the training of law enforcement officers and back-office personnel and the harmonisation of the law enforcement system used by the various municipalities to align with AARTO requirements.

As part of efforts to ensure safety and reduce the toll that accidents have on lives and livelihoods, in its tabled budget vote in July, the department said it aims to reduce road fatalities by 45% by 2029 so that the country reaches the United Nations target of halving road fatalities by 2030.

“Easter 2025 had the lowest number of crashes and fatalities we have seen for the last three years. Crashes were reduced from 209 in 2024 to 141 in 2025, which is a 32.5% overall decrease compared to 2024,” the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, said at the release of the stats in April.

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The department also noted that the reduction in crashes was due to partnerships between civil society and government.

Government is also acutely aware that transport is not only the backbone of the economy, but also the subject of the annual commemoration of Transport Month in October.

The elevation of road safety is not only done over the course of long weekends and the Easter period, but also throughout the year, with law enforcement controls like Operation Shanela regularly reporting the arrest of drunk drivers. To date, the police have already launched various safety campaigns across the country, which include multidisciplinary roadblocks by law enforcement.

As the year draws to a close, the government reminds residents to use the roads responsibly, not only during the festivities but always.

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