SA road deaths decline by 34% – RTMC
The number of fatalities on South African roads has decreased by 34% in the last week of March (from March 20 to 30, 2015) compared to the same period last year.
Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters said preliminary data released by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) indicated there were 166 fatal crashes in the last week of March this year, which resulted in 206 fatalities.
There had been 297 fatal crashes, which resulted in 313 deaths, the last week of March 2014, according to data sourced from the South Africa Police Services and other traffic authorities.
Corporation CEO Advocate Makhosini Msibi said the information would spur the RTMC and its partners in provincial departments and local authorities to intensify road safety campaigns and law enforcement to save more lives on the roads.
“This decline recorded in this period should not lull us into complacency. We should double our efforts in implementing our 365 day safety programme to achieve the goals set in the United Nations Decade of Action for road safety,” said Msibi.
KwaZulu Natal and Mpumalanga had recorded the highest percentage decline in fatal crashes and deaths in the period under review this year.
The decline was more than 50% in both provinces.
All other provinces recorded declines in road deaths to varying degrees, said the RTMC.
The Western Cape was the only province where deaths showed a slight increase from 27 in 2014 to 29 this year.
Last year, Peters said the death toll on the country’s roads over the Easter weekend dropped from 241 in 2013 to 193 in 2014.
KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of fatalities with 49 (39 crashes), followed by the Eastern Cape with 36 (19), Limpopo 30 (23), and Gauteng 23 (22).
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