File Picture Henk Kruger/Independent Media
As the first long weekend in December approaches and traffic volumes increase, there have been a spate of fatal road crashes across the country leading to the loss of more than 20 lives.
In the Free State yesterday, 10 people were killed and one sustained injuries on the N1 near Kroonstad when a minibus crashed into a truck.
Also yesterday, two people died in a crash between a bus and two cars on the N1 in Mookgophong, Limpopo. It is believed that the bus was coming from Zimbabwe to Durban.
On Saturday, in the Free State, five people were killed and one sustained injuries in a head-on collision on the N3 highway near Harrismith while three people died in a collision between two bakkies on the R30 between Allanridge and Odendaalsrus.
In KwaZulu-Natal, on Thursday night, on the N3 in Pietermaritzburg, two people died and at least 30 injured when two trucks and a fully loaded bus crashed.
KZN MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, who launched the festive season safety campaign, said they wanted to reduce road crashes and fatalities by at least five percent during the 2024/2025 period.
The KZN Department of Transport said that the 2023/2024 festive period recorded 1 427 deaths, slightly down from 1 452 in the prior year.
To improve response times and law enforcement visibility, a new satellite traffic station has been opened at Van Reenen’s Pass, a notorious hotspot for crashes, he said.
“This 24-hour station will allow officers to respond more effectively to incidents on the pass, which recorded 14 fatalities last festive season,” Duma explained.
A total of 2 745 officers and 808 vehicles have been deployed across KZN for the festive season. Among them are 194 newly trained traffic officers, participating in their first major operations.
“We call on all our officers to have zero tolerance for reckless driving and to execute their duties with diligence,” Duma urged.
Duma noted that fatigue related crashes, prevalent on long-distance routes like the N3 and N2, will be addressed through educational campaigns at truck stops.
“Fatigue is a silent killer,” Duma stressed. “We urge motorists to take breaks every two hours.”
“We urge all citizens and visitors to adhere to traffic laws and plan their journeys responsibly,” Duma said.
DA KZN spokesperson on Transport, Riona Gokool, labelled the province’s roads as “death traps” and criticised the lack of consistent law enforcement.
“KZN’s roads have become a daily scene of horrific accidents. It is critical that road traffic laws are enforced properly to ensure road safety and discourage lawlessness, especially during the festive season,” she said.
Gokool emphasised the need to hold law enforcement officials accountable for their responsibilities and to eliminate corruption within traffic management systems.
“Corruption undermines public trust and compromises road safety. The department must adopt a zero-tolerance stance toward it,” she added.
The DA also advocated for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve road safety.
“Modern transport departments globally are leveraging AI to adjust traffic patterns, enforce speed limits, and identify risky behaviour,” Gokool noted.
Samantha Meyrick, from private emergency medical services, IPSS Medical Rescue, warned that traffic volumes have risen sharply, and motorists must adapt their behaviour.
“With the increased traffic, motorists need to be more cautious and patient. Add on additional travel time, take regular breaks, maintain safe speeds, and ensure vehicles and tyres are in good condition,” she advised.