By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy launched the 2026 Easter Road Safety Campaign, celebrating a remarkable drop in road fatalities.
Fatalities fell to six-year low as government ramps up enforcement.
Six provinces recorded decreases in fatalities: namely Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West and Eastern Cape.
She was addressing the launch of the 2026 Arrive Alive Easter Road Safety Campaign under the theme: ‘It Begins With Me’, on the N3, near Spruitview Offramp, East Rand.
“Every province has seen a decrease in the number of crashes. Fatalities have decreased by 10% compared with the same period last year,” Creecy said.
“This progress was not accidental; it is the direct result of coordinated law enforcement, strategic partnerships with civil society, and a shift in the collective consciousness of our road users. However, we cannot rest on these laurels. As long as one family still receives a knock on the door with news of a tragedy, our work is not done,” Creecy said.
The Easter holidays are marked by an increase in traffic on major corridors as travellers embark on various religious and holiday destinations.
Government has appealed to travellers to take personal accountability when using the roads during the upcoming holidays.
“Over 80% of road crashes are the direct result of human behaviour. We are calling on every driver, passenger, and pedestrian to take ownership of their conduct on our shared roads.”
“Our law enforcement strategy over this time will be uncompromising. I have directed all agencies to prioritise public and freight transport safety as well as pedestrians,” the Minister said.
This year, there will be a targeted focus on preventing pedestrians from crossing and walking on highways.
“We will also patrol areas of entertainment near highways to prevent inebriated pedestrians from running across major roads. Pedestrians currently account for almost half of all road deaths.”
“Traffic Authorities, for the first time this year, are instructed to deploy their students to patrol these national critical pedestrian locations and not release students to go home,” she said.
Law enforcement visibility in and around pedestrian accident-prone areas will be assisted by the members of the communities and support from the South African Police Service (SAPS).