By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has launched the 2025 Easter Road Safety campaign, which will run from 20 March to 2 May.
The Easter holiday season is characterized by high road traffic volumes, a period during which many road users across the country will travel to various religious and holiday destinations and traffic volumes on major corridors will reach peak levels.
The Easter Road Safety awareness campaign aims to prioritize and promote safer road usage during this high traffic peak season on the country’s roads.
The objective of the campaign is not only to ensure smooth flows of traffic but also prevent negligent and reckless driving which could result in road crashes, injuries and fatalities.
Creecy, alongside stakeholders from the transport industry, such as South African National Taxi Council, the Road Freight Association, as well as the Liquor Traders Association, addressed media in Pretoria ahead of the Human Rights public holiday on Friday.
Last year, 355 people died on the country’s roads during the Easter weekend.
According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of fatal crashes at 52, followed by Gauteng with 49 deadly accidents.
In its Easter 2024 report, the RTMC said human factors contributed to the high percentage of fatal crashes.
“Human factors contributed 94.6% in 2024 Easter and 92.6% in 2023 Easter to fatal crashes. Human factors in fatal crashes remain a big concern,” read the report.
Creecy lamented human behaviour as the biggest contributor to crashes and pedestrian deaths.
“Our theme for this campaign is: ‘It begins with me’. We chose this theme because driver and pedestrian behaviour is responsible for 87% of road accidents, fatalities, and injuries in our country. So, reducing road accidents, fatalities, and injuries is the responsibility of each and every one of us.”
She said government was taking a tough stance against those who disobey traffic laws in a bid to curb fatalities on the country’s roads.
Creecy warned that road safety should not be confined to the festive season and the Easter period.
Working together with key stakeholders in the industry, Creecy said there would be common programs and messaging running throughout the year.
Additional policing will be deployed to critical routes were most pilgrims are expected to be travelling in high volumes to their various religious destinations. These include the N4, R71, Libode on the N2, Umtata’s R61, R54, N3, N2, N4 from Middelburg to Gauteng and the R66 in KwaZulu-Natal.
National traffic police, the SAPS, provincial traffic departments, the Cross-Border Road Traffic Agency, the Border Management Agency, metro police, and local authorities will work together to patrol major routes.
Meetings will also be held with faith-based sector to support safe and appropriate travel arrangements to the big events over the Easter weekend. Taxi ranks will be visited to inspect vehicles and safer driving practices will be promoted.