Preliminary reports suggest a significant decrease in road crashes and fatalities in KwaZulu-Natal over the festive season with the provincial MEC for transport saying they are not going to take their eye off the ball until schools have reopened.

The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka says the province is currently taking stock of the performance of the enforcement operations for the festive season.

According to Hlomuka the province had set a target of a 10% reduction and the indications currently are that KZN is at a 13% reduction in serious crashes and deaths.

The situation is currently being monitored as most holidaymakers are making their way back with high volumes of traffic, mainly on the N2 and N3, says the MEC.

Hlomuka says there are other provincial roads which are linking small towns which are heavily monitored by traffic enforcement, comprising of the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI), National Traffic Police (NTP) and local authorities.

According to him more than 88 502 vehicles were stopped this festive season and more than 10 730 charges were meted against road users who violated traffic regulations.

The MEC commended the law enforcement agencies, saying their visibility and commitment is yielding positive results.

“Whilst we are at a preliminary stage of the assessment with our performance, all indications are pointing to a decrease on both crashes and fatalities.

“We are however not taking our eyes off the ball as our enforcement teams are still monitoring the movement on the road. Our plan will be to monitor all our networks until the schools are opened. We are also encouraged by the work of our enforcement agencies,” says MEC Hlomuka.

Hlomuka appeals to road users to continue observing traffic regulations and drive responsibly.