Festive Season Road Deaths and Crashes Drop by 5%, Says Transport Minister

Releasing the festive season road safety report in Pretoria on Thursday, Minister Creecy said 1,427 fatalities were recorded from 1,172 crashes between 1 December 2025 and 11 January 2026.

 

Preliminary data from South Africa’s 2025/26 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign shows a five percent reduction in both road fatalities and crashes compared to the same period last year, according to Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy.

Releasing the festive season road safety report in Pretoria on Thursday, Minister Creecy said 1,427 fatalities were recorded from 1,172 crashes between 1 December 2025 and 11 January 2026.

“The 2025/26 festive season recorded the lowest number of crashes in five years, and the same number of fatalities as the 2023/24 festive season,” Creecy said during a media briefing held alongside Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa.

Provincial Trends

Five provinces recorded reductions in fatalities, with the Eastern Cape showing the largest percentage decline, followed by the Free State. However, Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape experienced increases in road deaths.

The data revealed a sharp spike in crashes and fatalities between 15 and 28 December 2025, which accounted for more than 40% of total incidents.

“This confirms that most festive season crashes occur after travellers have reached their destinations and are participating in social activities, rather than during peak travel periods,” Creecy said.

High-Risk Periods and Crash Types

Most crashes occurred:

• Between 19:00 and 21:00, and

• Between midnight and 01:00

Common crash types included:

• Pedestrian collisions and hit-and-run incidents

• Single-vehicle overturns

• Head-on collisions

The highest number of pedestrian fatalities were recorded in:

• City of Cape Town

• City of Johannesburg

• eThekwini

• Nkangala District

• City of Tshwane

Vehicles Involved

• Small motor vehicles accounted for 55% of crashes

• Light delivery vehicles accounted for 20%

• Minibus taxis and trucks were involved in 7% and 6% of crashes respectively

Law Enforcement and Alcohol-Related Offences

During the festive season:

• 1,632 roadblocks were conducted

• 1.8 million vehicles were stopped and inspected

• Over 450,000 traffic fines were issued

• 525 motorists were arrested for excessive speeding

A total of 173,695 drivers were tested for alcohol, with 8,561 testing positive — a 144% increase compared to last year.

The highest recorded breath alcohol reading was in KwaZulu-Natal, where a motorist tested 14 times above the legal limit. The fastest offender was arrested in the Northern Cape, clocked at 222 km/h in a 120 km/h zone.

Additionally, 89 motorists were arrested for attempting to bribe traffic officers.

Education and Awareness Campaigns

The Department of Transport conducted 2,547 education and awareness programmes nationwide, targeting driver, pedestrian and passenger behaviour. These included outreach at:

• Transport hubs

• Shopping centres

• Areas of mass public gatherings

The campaign was supported by extensive messaging across radio, television and social media, alongside intensified enforcement of seatbelt use, child restraints, vehicle roadworthiness, speeding and drunk driving.

Annual Road Safety Trends Improve

Minister Creecy also reported encouraging trends in annual road safety statistics, with preliminary data showing 2025 recorded the lowest number of crashes and fatalities in five years.

For the period 1 January to 31 December 2025:

• 11,418 fatalities were recorded from 9,674 crashes

• This compares with 12,581 fatalities from 10,633 crashes in 2021

Crashes declined by 6.4% in 2025 compared to 2024, while fatalities decreased by 6.2% over the same period.

“These figures show we are moving in the right direction, but the loss of life on our roads remains unacceptably high,” Creecy said, reiterating the need for sustained enforcement and behaviour change.