Road deaths decline over 2016 Easter weekend
Road deaths have declined over the Easter period this year, compared to the same period last year, according to Transport Minister Dipuo Peters.
Peters briefed the media on Tuesday morning where she delivered the preliminary statistics report dated between March 25 and March 28.
She praised everyone involved for the decrease in road deaths over this period.
Peters explained that the report indicates there were 156 fatalities on the roads this year during the Easter weekend, compared to 287 fatalities over the same time last year.
She said this was a decline of 46 percent.
"With the exception of the Northern Cape - which recorded the same number of fatalities as last year - all other provinces recorded a decrease in the number of fatalities. Notably, the North West recorded the highest decrease of 71 percent," Peters said.
The Free State recorded a decrease of 52 percent; 23 down to 11 lives lost.
KwaZulu-Natal experienced a drop of 49 percent with fatalities reduced to 28 this year compared to 55 in 2015.
Peters said the decline was achieved despite an increase of 3 percent in the number of registered vehicles on South Africa's roads. The total number of registered vehicles in February stood at 11.7 million.
However, more than 900 people were arrested for drunken driving over the four days.
Peters admitted that her department still had its work cut out for them.
Edited by Faith Daniels