With schools closed and the holidays in full swing, the Road Accident Fund (RAF) has warned motorists to be cautious on the roads.
In the 2024 festive season, the four most common motor vehicle accidents were collisions involving pedestrians, hit-and-runs, the overturning of single vehicles and head-on crashes, the RAF said.
A total of 65,732 new claims were registered in the 2024/2025 period countrywide, with the Eastern Cape accounting for 12,788 of those claims.
RAF spokesperson Boniswa Matshoba said the claims included applications for compensation requests for loss of support, medical compensation, loss of earnings, general damage and funeral expenses.
“Road users may face severe consequences such as brain injuries, orthopaedic trauma, paralysis or even death, if they do not prioritise safety on the roads this festive season,” Matshoba said.
According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, during the 2023/2024 holidays between December 1 and January 11, the province recorded 154 fatal crashes were recorded in the Eastern Cape, the number increased by 17 to 171.
Most of the crashes occurred in the evenings of Friday, Saturday and Sunday accounted for the most crashes.
In total, 217 fatalities were recorded in the province over this period in 2023/2024 and 244 in 2024/2025.
Holiday traffic volumes on the road are expected to peak on December 16.
Matshoba said: “Roads play a crucial role in our lives; they help us move forward, connect with loved ones, create cherished memories and foster communities.
“However, they can also transform from pathways of opportunity into sites of tragedy.
“Motor vehicle accidents can result in injuries and fatalities, leaving victims and their families to cope with deep emotional trauma.
“All road users must remember that road safety starts with individual responsibility.
“Drivers should ensure their vehicles and tyres are in good condition.
“Children under seven must be adequately strapped in a child seat, while older children and the remaining occupants of the car must always wear seatbelts.
“It is crucial to avoid consuming alcohol or using drugs while driving.
“Additionally, pedestrians should wear bright-coloured clothing at night.
“Not respecting the rules of the road can lead to severe and devastating consequences.
“To illustrate this, injuries sustained from not wearing a seatbelt can vary based on the passenger’s seating position and the nature of the accident.
“Some common injuries include traumatic brain injuries, facial injuries, chest injuries, fractured limbs and neck and spinal injuries.”
Matshoba said preventing road crashes was a key focus of the RAF’s road safety strategy, a secondary objective of the fund.
In the previous financial year (2024/2025), the organisation installed 119 speed humps, speed rumble strips and pedestrian crossings near 23 schools, in areas where there was a high risk of serious accidents in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape.
The areas were selected from statistics indicating the highest number of crash fatalities and serious injuries.
Defensive driving training was provided to 986 bus, truck and taxi drivers and to 604 scholar transport drivers across the country.
A total of 360 unemployed youths were granted learner’s licences, driver’s licences and professional driving permits (PDPs).
Other road safety initiatives included promoting the safety of cyclists, supporting scholar patrols and facilitating youth projects.
Already the province has seen loss of lives on the road recently, with eight lives lost on November 30.
Eastern Cape transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose warned that operations targeting drunk driving, speeding, unroadworthy vehicles and reckless behaviour would be intensified across all major routes.
The department reported that this past weekend’s road safety operations resulted in a total of 213 arrests for drunken driving recorded across the province, 59 of which were in Mthatha and another 59 in BCM.
Binqose echoed the RAF, calling for motorists to abide by the rules of the road.
“Our plea to road users and motorists is for them to meet us halfway and ensure that they do everything according to the rules of the road,” Binqose said.
“We will ensure that we keep high visibility and enforce the law. As government, we have personnel strategically placed along the routes that we consider problematic for swift response and to maintain visibility.
“We can have as many boots on the ground as we wish, but there’s no replacement for [safe] driving. That is why we are calling for drivers to meet us halfway.
“In all that we do, we won’t win if drivers are not ... at the party playing their role as well.”
Daily Dispatch
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