SA Has the Highest Number of Alcohol Related Road Accident Deaths, Netizens Agree

• An online driver education platform ranked South Africa as the most dangerous country to drive in for the second year in a row
• The report, titled "The World's Safest Roads", said the country experiences 24.5 road traffic deaths per 100,000 people
• South Africans agreed: many pointed to the number of fatal accidents the country experienced in the past few months, and Arrive Alive's Johan Jonck spoke to Briefly News

For seven years, 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 — An online driver platform, Zutobi, ranked south Africa's roads as the most dangerous in the world and has the highest rate of alcohol-related deaths. South Africans discussed the rankings. Briefly News also discussed the findings with Arrive Alive's CEO, Advocate Johan Jonck.

What did the report say?

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According to the report released on the Zutobi website, titled "The World's Safest Roads," South Africa was placed number two on the list of the highest road deaths. There are an estimated 24.5 road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in the country. The reporter remarked that just over a third of the country's front seat passengers wear a seatbelt. This raned the country as the lowest seatbelt-wearing rates.

The report also revealed that the rate of alcohol-related road traffic deaths is the highest in South Africa with 57.5%. By contrast, Norway, Iceland and Japan are the safest countries to drive in. Thailand and the United States follow South Africa as the second and third most dangerous countries to drive in, respectively.

Arrive Alive speaks to Briefly News

Briefly News spoke to Arrive Alive's Advocate Johan Jonck, who confirmed that Arrive Alive is aware of the report. He also said that although scientific sciences might differ on the exact numbers, one does not need to be a scientist to know that the country's seatbelt wearing rates are low.

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"We have always maintained that we need more awareness on seatbelt wearing. This is consistent without messages that the back seat is not safer, that we need to buckle up on the font and back seat and also have children either buckled up or restrained in car seats," Jonck said.

"There is not enough enforcement on this, and too many drivers are too careless to ensure their passengers are buckled up."

Gauteng recently experienced several accidents in Ekurhuleni in Gauteng. In the first accident, four children perished when a school transport car collided with a bakkie on the Putfontein Road in Daveyton.

Over 16 people died when a bus overturned towards the OR Tambo International Airport. More than 40 people were injured during the accident.

What did South Africans say?

South Africans commenting on SABC News' Facebook post agreed with the findings,

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Given Mbeki Mabhekan said:

"South Africans watch too many American movies and copy the style of driving, forgetting that movies are edited."

Themba Jiyane said;

"Not just driving; the roads are also dangerous. Our potholes are now sinkholes."

Idah Mokhemisa said:

"Sad but true. People are forever angry on the road,d and people drive with stress and cellphones."

Tayron Joghns said:

"This is very true. People drive crazy on SA roads."

Sharon Mmago-Boy Mhlungu said:

"I agree. We are reckless, especially on public transportation."

Bsrbara Creecy released festive season statistics

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Transport Minister Barbara Creecy released the country's festive season road statistics. She said taxis were involved in most of the major accidents.

Creecy in Janaury said that KwaZulu-Natal had the highest fatalities on the road. Gauteng had the second-highest fatalities, and the Northern Cape had the lowest fatalities.

Source: Briefly News