It will come as no surprise to learn that the number of people who died on the roads during the 2010 festive season was, once again, astonishingly high.

Transport minister Sbu Ndebele announced that 1551 people were killed on South Africa’s roads in the five-week period between the beginning of December 2010 and 5 January 2011.

"This figure is almost exactly in line with the deaths recorded from vehicle accidents during the 2009 festive season, and is a worrying statistic," says Angelo Haggiyannes, director of Auto & General Insurance. The highest number of vehicle accidents was recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (232 people), followed by Gauteng with 200 and Eastern Cape with 169.

Referring to the deaths as "road carnage", Ndebele said more than 1000 people die every month in South Africa as a result of vehicle accidents.

He blamed the death toll on "irresponsible drivers who display complete disregard for the rules of the road".

Auto & General offers the following suggestions on how to make our roads safer:

Motorists
Setting an appropriate speed, and reducing it when necessary is the essence of safe driving.
Do not overload your vehicle.
When travelling on a long journey, take frequent rest breaks.
Drive with your headlights on to improve your visi-bility to other motorists.
Make sure that the car’s tyres have sufficient tread and are properly inflated.
Pay extra special attention when driving during wet weather.
Obey traffic signals and implement good road manners and behaviour.
Always wear a seat-belt - this is a non-negotiable!

Motorcyclists
Operating a motorcycle safely is much more physically and mentally demanding than driving a car and involves a higher level of concentration.
Don’t use the back brakes alone as this can cause the bike to skid.
Never overtake if you can't see the road ahead.
Always look out for other cars’ blind spots and make sure you are not in them.
When carrying a passenger, make sure that your passenger also wears a helmet at all times.

Haggiyannes concludes: "Road safety also encompasses a range of factors such as, understanding the various road signs and adhering to them, ensuring that your license is up-to-date and verified, reporting neglected road infrastructure and buckling up - these points must also receive priority attention by all road users."

(Issued by Auto and General Insurance)