Despite a drop in the national number of road deaths and the government’s commitment to halving these fatalities by 2015 – traffic-related deaths are still on the increase in the Eastern Cape.
Despite a drop in the national number of road deaths and the government’s commitment to halving these fatalities by 2015 – traffic-related deaths are still on the increase in the Eastern Cape.
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters announced that during the 2013 festive season, the Eastern Cape registered 158 crashes. 190 people lost their lives. The chance of being involved in a fatal accident in South Africa is the highest per capita in the Eastern Cape.
Peters called for stricter measures after a horrific truck crash in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal claimed 27 lives in September 2013.
"No traffic transgression, no matter how minor, should be left unpunished by law enforcement officers. Any officer who lets an offender pass without punishment is a potential murderer for his/her irresponsible action could cost lives," said Peters.
The statistics available for 2012 indicate an average of 101 road fatalities per month in the Eastern Cape and 138 road fatalities in Gauteng. Gauteng has more than five times more vehicles than the Eastern Cape.
Of the 9.7 million vehicles in South Africa, the Eastern Cape only represents 664 000 or 7% of this number, yet accidents in the province remain overwhelmingly high when compared with those of other provinces and their vehicle populations numbers.
Dead man driving
A spate of accidents in Grahamstown as reported in Grocott’s Mail have a common thread, the drivers have all been young men. The three accidents in the past month, one of which resulted in the death of local DJ Lungisa Tala, all involved young male drivers.
This phenomenon is clearly expressed in the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s (RTMC) annual report which reveals a staggering 93% of all road fatalities involve male drivers. Male passengers also have a much higher chance of being in a fatal accident than their female counterparts.
Road fatalities in the Eastern Cape put total driver deaths at only 66% of the pedestrian deaths from road accidents. The latest statistics from Arrive Alive revealed that pedestrian deaths are higher than passenger deaths as well and represent 40% of the total deaths that are due to crashes.
“Initial trends indicate that pedestrians continue to be the main victims of the fatalities occurring on secondary road routes. A high percentage of the people who died on our road were pedestrians,” said deputy minister of transport Sindisiwe Chikunga, in a statement earlier this year.
Seatbelt fatalities
“Many passengers also lost their lives because they do not use safety belts,” said Minister of Transport Ben Martins in a statement.”
“Only two percent of backseat passengers use safety belts compared to 60% of drivers and front seat passengers.”
Chikunga added that the major contributor to road accidents were human error and vehicle and road conditions. The human causes of road fatalities were mainly exceeding the speed limit, the abuse of alcohol by drivers and pedestrians, and reckless overtaking.
The latest statistics released by the RTMC show that the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape are the only provinces in the country with an increase in road fatalities.
