Transport Minister, Dipuo Peters, says that the road death toll in the first 20 days of December was up 16 percent compared to last year.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, she said that 845 people were killed in 684 crashes across the country.
She said that human error was to blame for many of the accidents where drivers had overtaken on barrier lines and blind spots.
The spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation, Simon Zwane, says the Minister is very concerned.
She is concerned that people are driving under the influence of alcohol, especially the amount of women being arrested for drunken driving.
Zwane says also that with two long-weekends looming, traffic chiefs have been summoned to provide their plans on how to curb the carnage on the roads.
Excerpt from statement issued by Minister Dipuo Peters.
We are at pains to accept the harsh realities of those who have prematurely succumbed to road fatalities and their lives cut short by some rogue elements in our communities who have no regard for human life. It cannot and it should not be that 39.2% of the total fatalities is passengers who place their trust in the hands of drivers and yet never reached their destinations.
Pedestrians account for 34.3% of the total number of fatalities and surely their lives were cut short by motorists who are always not vigilant and caring. Some of the pedestrian who perished contributed by their own negligence as they were found to be jaywalking while under the influence of alcohol. Pedestrians have a responsibility to use the roads safely and not to drink and walk even in the middle of the night without visible clothes.
Drivers largely contributes 23.8% of the road fatalities. Some of those drivers were innocent and responsible road users and were made to lose their lives prematurely by those who flagrantly flouted the rules of the road.
Some of the deceased drivers were the major cause of these avoidable road crashes as they deliberately overtook on barrier lines, blind spots, travelled at high speed, were under the influence of liquor while some were fatigued and never cared just to stop for a moment.
Unapologetically and steadfastly, I have deemed it necessary to urgently convene a meeting with all Traffic Chiefs and Regional Directors of Provinces with high fatalities to engage and robustly confront the prevailing situation with a view of finding solutions and interventions to reduce the carnage and fatalities.
