Statement by Minister of Transport, Ms Barbara Creecy (MP) at the Youth Day Activation on N12 Potchefstroom
Programme Director,
Deputy Minister of Transport,
Mr Mkhuleko Hlengwa,
MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management
Mr. Wessels Morweng,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are here on the eve of National Youth Day commemorations.
It is also a few days after we experienced snow, heavy rainfalls and strong winds in some parts of the country such as the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and the Free State. We are grateful that although this extreme weather affected the movement of vehicles, we did not experience fatalities that were directly attributable to vehicle crashes. However, we must remain vigilant, and we must continue to call on motorists and pedestrians to exercise extreme caution when using the roads during the month of June and the entire winter season. This is because days are shorter in winter resulting in increased night travel especially over the weekends.
Some provinces are prone to misty conditions which affects visibility. Informal residential areas along main arterial routes tend to experience fog because of the burning fossil fuels such as coal and burning wood leading to poor visibility during the time when most people travel to work at dust and dawn. Therefore, our road safety activation here today seeks to raise awareness about these risky conditions and to educate the public, especially young people to take responsibility to safeguard their lives during this time of the year. Statistics collected and analysed by the Road Traffic Management Corporation indicate that road fatalities tend to spike in the month of June.
Last year, the country recorded 1087 road fatalities during the month of June. This was the highest number of fatalities compared to fatalities experienced in 2023 which were recorded as 983, whereas 1044 fatalities had been recorded in 2022 and 1065 recorded in 2021. The 2024 June 16 public holiday contributed significantly to crashes. Statistics show that last year 231 people died during the June 16 long weekend. This was higher than the year before in 2023 when 156 people had died and still higher than the 147 of 2022 or the 178 lives lost in 2021. The increase in last year’s fatal crashes was attributed to high traffic volumes as people used the long weekend period to visit friends and family. Contributors were also drunken driving, speed, recklessness and unsafe pedestrians.
These fatalities are having a devasting effect on families, the economy and society as up to 50 percent of the people who die on our roads are young people between the ages of 20 and 39; meaning that the country is losing new graduates, budding professionals and productive people who are at the stage of starting families. Six provinces have contributed the highest number of fatalities in the previous four years and these are Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. This will have to be guarded by placing additional resources in the risky parts of these provinces. The top four crash types have largely involved accidents with pedestrians, hit and run crashes, single overturned vehicle and head-on collisions.
It is for this reason that we are making a clarion call for the youth to take a stand against the scourge of road crashes. In their social interactions and fun activities, young people must prioritise road safety as nothing can be brought to bear without them. They must accept the truth that road safety starts with them and it starts with each among the rest of us. Over this weekend, law enforcement will be intensified on all fronts to deal with pedestrian safety, drunken driving, speeding as well as reckless driving. They will also focus on the roadworthiness of private, freight and public transport vehicles while maintaining high visibility on all high traffic routes. It is time for all road users to play their role and make our roads safer. I thank you.
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