The national preliminary death toll for this past Easter weekend stands at 203 fatal crashes whereby at least 203 people have died. The preliminary provincial break -down for fatal crashes are as follows:
- KwaZulu-Natal 43
- Gauteng 32
- Limpopo 30
- Mpumalanga 29
- Eastern Cape 25
- Free State 17
- North West 11
- Northern Cape 9
- Western Cape 7
The Corporation is currently working closely with SAPS to reduce the huge variation between the preliminary and the final figures. The utilization of the SAPS reports from their system has shown an improvement regarding the data accuracy. The above figures are based on all Culpable Homicide cases reported to SAPS. The road death reporting period is now in line with the Thirty-day International Standard.
The RTMC investigated three major crashes (where more than five people have died or more than three vehicles were involved) over this weekend:
- Twelve people died in a head-on collision between two minibuses in the early hours of Friday morning (22 April) on the N4, near Ngodwana in Mpumalanga Province;
- Eight people (of which five were children) died early on Monday morning (25 April) when a bakkie carrying nine passengers was struck by a car on the N9, near Rouxville in the Free State Province;
- Two people died and two seriously injured in a crash involving a truck, a minibus taxi and two sedans between Theunissen and Brandfort on Monday (25 April) in the Free State province.
- Speeds too high for circumstances, especially during night time and inclement weather;
- Vehicle fitness, particularly, tyre failure and defective brakes;
- Dangerous driving such as barrier line and red light infringements and talking/texting while driving;
- Pedestrian compliance: poor visibility, drinking and walking, jaywalking and walking on freeways.
As part of the background and build-up of the enforcement campaign, this hard-hitting, focused and high visibility plan saw more than 7,5 million vehicles stopped and checked nation-wide, 3,2 million notices issued for a variety of offences, 12 344 drunken drivers arrested and more than 30 824 un-roadworthy vehicles discontinued from October 2010 to March 2011.
From Monday, 18 to Monday 25, April 2011, one thousand and sixteen (1016) motorists were arrested nationally for amongst others, drinking and driving, reckless and negligent driving and fraudulent public passenger transport documentation.
"Together with our provincial and municipal traffic departments, we remain confident that as part of the United Nations Make Roads Safe -Decade of Action Campaign, we will continue to strengthen our road safety programmes. As part of the improvement of road crash statistics, in the near future, the RTMC will disaggregate and report crash stats to municipal level so that road safety interventions can be strategically focused," added Mr. Letsoalo.
"For us to see a significant decline in offences and crashes In South Africa requires the commitment and involvement of every member of society. We need to embrace a culture of voluntary compliance to ensure our safety at all times, not just when you see a traffic police vehicle", he added.
With another long weekend ahead of us and as part of the Make Roads Safe Campaign the RTMC has issued a stern warning to traffic offenders that traffic law enforcement will be on high alert and will continue prosecuting and arresting offenders in order to make roads safer. No mercy will be shown to especially high speedsters, drunken drivers and pedestrians as well as operators of un-roadworthy public passenger transport vehicles
Source: Sapa
