690 people have died on the roads of South Africa since December began

JOHANNESBURG – Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said 690 people had died on the country’s roads since the beginning of December.

That’s about a 5% decrease compared to last year.

Mbalula informed the media in Pretoria on Tuesday morning, saying that the slight decrease in road deaths was nothing to celebrate.

“It is unfortunate that 690 people lost their lives on our roads during the period from December 1 to 20, 2020, compared to 732 during the same period in 2019. While this represents a 5.7% year-on-year decrease, it is not a reason to celebrate, ”said the minister.

The provinces recorded an increase in the number of fatalities

EC recorded an increase of 21.5%, with 96 deaths compared to 79 in 2019.
PML registered an increase of 18.4%, with 90 deaths compared to 76
MP registered an increase of 15.9%, with 73 deaths compared to 63 pic.twitter.com/l3EuoqPkwt

Department of Transportation (@Dotransport) December 22, 2020

The N3 from Johannesburg to Durban registered an average of 1,547 vehicles per hour. This was slightly lower than the same period in 2019. pic.twitter.com/LjYuCM5Dz6

Department of Transportation (@Dotransport) December 22, 2020

The Department of Transportation has set a goal of ensuring a 20% decrease in deaths this holiday season.

“While it is encouraging to see a decrease in deaths to date, we are still a long way from achieving the 20% target we have set for ourselves this year. I urge all road users to be very careful when entering the second phase of our peak travel period, ”said Mbalula.

He said a total of 416 barricades were set up from December 1 to 20 across the country.

“A total of 109,529 motorists were sanctioned with traffic fines for various infractions. On the other hand, a total of 2,415 vehicles were discontinued, while another 1,801 vehicles were seized ”.

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