Staff Reporter
Transport minister Barbara Creecy said on Friday that road deaths and fatal crashes fell by 30% in the first nine days of the festive season.
But she warned the peak holiday period remained “particularly dangerous” as traffic volumes surge.
“Since the start of the festive season on December 1, in the first 9 days, preliminary figures are recorded at 213 fatal crashes resulting in 249 fatalities. This accounts for a 30% decline for both fatal crashes and fatalities compared to the same period in 2024,” Creecy said during a road-safety briefing on the N1 Gauteng-Limpopo corridor.
The festive season road safety campaign started on 1 December and runs to 14 January.
She told reporters the N1 was among the country’s busiest routes as travellers head to holiday destinations and freight operators supply goods ahead of the 16 December public holiday.
Creecy said year-to-date figures showed an improvement in road safety, but pedestrian deaths remained a major concern.
“Year to date figures, for the period ended 30 November 2025 indicates preliminary road crashes at 8 613 and the corresponding number of fatalities at 10 089. This shows an improvement in comparison to the prior year, where fatal crashes for the period were 9 288 and fatalities were 10 878, this is a reduction of 7,3% for both crashes and fatalities.
“There is a need to emphasise the increasing trend in pedestrian fatalities which accounts for the majority of fatalities at 46%, the most dominant crash type is accident with pedestrian which is observed in over 30% of crashes,” she said.
While fatalities fell in most provinces in the first nine days of the campaign, Mpumalanga remained a problem.
“Crashes and fatalities have so far decreased in all provinces except for Mpumalanga, where there is a 13% increase in crashes and 53% increase in fatalities,” she said. “Average crashes per day have decreased from 34 to 24, while average fatalities per day have declined from 40 to 28.”
She said major incidents involving multiple deaths, public transport and heavy vehicles, could increase the crash severity rate.
She said authorities had intensified enforcement and alcohol testing since the campaign began.
“Improvements in road safety indicators are promising and need to be sustained, we recognise that it is early days with 36 days still to go. The festive season remains a particularly dangerous time given traffic volumes and behavioural patterns of our road users.
“To respond to these challenges, authorities have strengthened law enforcement efforts to mitigate the risks. Since the start of the festive season campaign, 458 roadblocks were conducted in which 341 306 vehicles were stopped and checked.
“A total of 42 892 drivers were tested for alcohol and 741 were arrested for drunken driving. An additional 689 drivers, passengers and pedestrians were arrested for various other offences including speeding, reckless and negligent driving, jaywalking and being in the country illegally,” she said.
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