SA Records 21% Drop in Festive Road Deaths as Enforcement Intensifies

This reflects a 20.9% reduction in fatal crashes and a 20.8% decline in fatalities, marking one of the most encouraging mid-season results the country has seen in years.

South Africa has recorded a significant reduction in road fatalities during the first half of the 2025 festive season, with Transport Minister Barbara Creecy confirming that intensified enforcement and public awareness efforts have contributed to saving at least 113 lives compared to the same period last year.

Releasing the Department of Transport’s mid-term preliminary road safety report in Cape Town, Creecy said fatal crashes dropped from 545 last year to 431 this year, while deaths decreased from 638 to 505 between 1 and 16 December.

This reflects a 20.9% reduction in fatal crashes and a 20.8% decline in fatalities, marking one of the most encouraging mid-season results the country has seen in years.

Free State Leads in Improvements

The Free State emerged as the best-performing province, achieving a dramatic decline in both serious crashes and fatalities:

• Major crashes reduced from 40 to 19

• Fatalities decreased from 61 to 20This represents a 67.2% drop in road deaths — the highest improvement nationwide.

Gauteng Still the Highest Contributor to Death Toll

Although Gauteng reduced its number of crashes by 12%, it remains the biggest contributor to the national fatality count:

• 105 deaths from 95 crashes

KwaZulu-Natal followed closely with:

• 88 deaths from 85 crashes

Other provinces recorded the following fatalities:

• Western Cape: 66 deaths (55 crashes)

• Eastern Cape: 52 deaths (45 crashes)

• Mpumalanga: 69 deaths (50 crashes)

• North West: 34 deaths (28 crashes)

• Limpopo: 40 deaths (34 crashes)

• Northern Cape: 31 deaths (20 crashes)

Despite improved national trends, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape saw year-on-year increases in fatalities, highlighting persistently high-risk behaviours in certain regions.

Pedestrians Remain Most Vulnerable

Creecy noted that while enforcement is having an impact, the pattern of fatalities remains worrying. The average fatalities per day now stand at 32, the lowest in five years, but pedestrians continue to account for a disproportionate share of deaths.

Breakdown of fatalities by road user:

• Pedestrians: 44%

• Passengers: 28%

• Drivers: 26%

• Cyclists: 2%

The most common crash types contributing to fatalities include:

• Pedestrian-related incidents

• Hit-and-run accidents

• Single-vehicle overturns

• Head-on collisions

Behavioural Risks Still Driving Incidents

The Minister emphasised that many crashes stem from preventable risk factors such as:

• Alcohol misuse

• Speeding

• Driver fatigue

• Unsafe pedestrian behaviour

Severe rainfall and thunderstorms also worsened road conditions during the period under review.

Creecy stressed that while stronger enforcement helps, long-term behavioural change remains essential — a key principle of the 365 Days of Road Safety Campaign.

High Visibility Operations to Continue

With Christmas, New Year and return-travel peaks still ahead, government will maintain 24-hour high-visibility patrols on major highways and secondary routes.

Traffic volumes are expected to surge this weekend and again in early January when holidaymakers return to work and schools reopen.

Creecy urged motorists and pedestrians to exercise vigilance, reminding the public that even with the decline in fatalities, the “danger remains ever present” on the country’s roads.