Department of Transport Stats Reveal Taxis Were Involved in 53% of Festive Season Major Accidents

• The Department of Transport revealed that the province of KwaZulu-Natal had the highest fatalities on the roads during the festive season
• Gauteng had the second-highest number of fatalities, and the Northern Cape had the lowest number of crashes
• Arrive Alive's CEO, Advocate Johan Jonck, spoke to Briefly News and was concerned that 53% of the road fatalities were caused by taxis
• Crash investigator Stan Bezuidenhout spoke to Briefly News about steps bus drivers can take to avoid accidents

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather and natural disaster-related incidents at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG — The Department of Transport's statistics for the 2024 festive season paint a grim picture, as they reveal that taxis were involved in 53% of the major accidents on the road. They also showed that KwaZulu-Natal had the highest fatalities.

How many people died?

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According to Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, 1502 people died from 1234 fatal crashes during the festive season, a 5.3% increase compared to the 2023/24 festive season. KwaZulu-Natal had the highest fatalities, with 304 deaths from 247 crashes.

Gauteng had 235 deaths from 224 fatal crashes, and the Eastern Cape had 231 fatalities from 168 deadly accidents. There were 18 major accidents, which accounted for 134 deaths. What was concerning was that taxis were involved in 53% of the crashes.

Briefly News speaks to Arrive Alive

Arrive Alive's CEO, Advocate Johan Jonck, told Briefly News that the wet, rainy weather was most evident in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga during the festive season, which could have contributed to the figures.

"We will still have to investigate further whether vehicle fitness, roadworthiness and overloading could have contributed to these high numbers," he said.

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Crash expert gives tips to Briefly News

Crash expert Stan Bezuidenhout spoke to Briefly News and gave tips for bus drivers to avoid accidents.

"Drivers need better training, monitoring, maintenance and inspection, law enforcement and greater accountability for drivers and owners," he said.

Horrific festive season accidents

• Six children were among the eight people who were killed when a bus travelling in the Eastern Cape overturned on 1 December
• One person died when a truck collided with multiple vehicles on the N3 near the Mariannhill Toll Plaza
• 11 people were killed on the N2 when a taxi reportedly collided with a bakkie on 22 December

Department of Transport released crash hotspots list

Briefly News reported that the Department of Transport identified 20 hotspots where accidents frequently occurred during the festive season. Most of the hotspots were found in the Eastern Cape.

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The department revealed that the Eastern Cape had seven hotspots, while Limpopo and Mpumalanga had three. Transport Minister Barbara Creecy noted that about 10,180 people died between 1 January and 31 December 2023.

Source: Briefly News