SA sees increase in festive season road deaths
South Africa saw an increase in deaths on the roads during the festive season compared to the previous year.
A total of 1755 people have died on the roads over the festive season from 1 December 2015 to 11 January 2016.
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters briefed the media in Pretoria on the 2015/16 festive season road crash and fatality statistics saying the number of road deaths have increased by 220, or 14%, from 1,535 last year to 1,755 over the past holidays.
Peters said the number of accidents and deaths could even have been higher if it wasn't for their intensified intervention and heightened visibility.
"Kwa-Zulu Natal is the only province that recorded a decline in the percentage of fatalities by 2%," she said.
According to Peters, small motor vehicles accounted for the highest number of crashes, and the majority of people who died were passengers.
The group most affected were men between the ages of 25 and 39," she said.
Peters added that most accidents still happened over weekends, with the most taking place on Saturdays and that human factors played a critical role in the latest festive road deaths.
"Human factors contributed the most to the crashed with many collisions occurring as a result of jaywalking, speed that was too high for circumstances and overtaking in the face of oncoming traffic," she said.
(File photo: Gallo Images)
(Edited by Suné du Toit)