With Christmas and New Year’s Day now fully in the rear-view mirror, thousands of holidaymakers have already embarked on the journey back home.
However, with little more than a week left before schools across SA reopen for the new academic year, many are expected to travel in the coming days.
With an increase in traffic volumes, there have been growing calls from authorities for vigilance from motorists, passengers and pedestrians.
Hundreds of people had already lost their lives on the country’s roads since the start of the festive season, with fears of more fatalities.
The Eastern Cape reported more than 200 deaths in just 28 days in December; more than double the 97 fatalities recording during the same period in 2023.
The majority of these deadly crashes took place on the notorious N2 and R61 roads, while an accident involving a minibus taxi and an SUV claimed the lives of 14 people on the N9 near Graaff-Reinet.
These statistics aren’t just numbers — they represent lives lost, families shattered and communities mourning.
Traffic and law enforcement agencies must ramp up their road safety efforts through traffic checks and increased patrols, particularly along major routes in the country
The provincial transport department said it had intensified its road safety operations during the festive season and arrested hundreds of motorists for drunk driving. By New Year’s Day the tally stood at more than 500.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), in a statement released on Friday, said nearly 7,500 people were arrested on SA roads over the festive period for a range of offences, including drunk driving, speeding and attempted bribery.
A motorist was caught driving 209km/h in a 120km/h zone in Limpopo, while the highest breath alcohol level recorded was 2.47mg/1000ml on the R61 in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape.
The breath alcohol content limit is 0.24mg/1000ml for all drivers and 0.10mg/1000ml for professional drivers.
The need for strict and more visible policing during the final days of the festive holiday cannot be overstated.
Traffic and law enforcement agencies must ramp up their road safety efforts through traffic checks and increased patrols, particularly along major routes in the country.
We need to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to those who blatantly disregard the laws and endanger not only their own lives, but those of everyone on the road.
For those travelling, the RTMC gave this simple but potentially life-saving advice: “Do not speed, take regular breaks, buckle up and stay focused. Most importantly, Arrive Alive!”
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