The Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, has announced that road fatalities have dropped by more than 20 % compared to the same period last year.
Creecy provided an update on the mid-term festive season road safety report during a media briefing in Cape Town on Friday.
The report indicates a 20.9% reduction in fatal crashes and a 20.8% reduction in fatalities from 1 December to 16 December 2025.
“The number of fatal crashes last year this time was 545, compared to the 431 we have seen this year. The fatal crashes took 638 lives last year this time compared to 505 persons this year,” Creecy said.
ROAD FATALITIES RECORDED IN EACH PROVINCE
The Minister revealed that Gauteng reduced crashes by 12% but remains the province with the highest fatality rate.
“In Gauteng, 105 people were killed in 95 crashes, with 88 fatalities in KwaZulu-Natal from 85 crashes,” she said.
Western Cape alone claimed the lives of 66 people, while the Eastern Cape saw 52 fatalities in 45 crashes.
Mpumalanga recorded 69 fatalities and North West has 34 deaths in 28 crashes.
Limpopo recorded 40 road deaths in 34 crashes and Northern Cape has 31 road deaths in 20 crashes.
Meanwhile, Free State was identified as the best-performing province.
According to the report, Free State managed to bring down major crashes from 40 last year this time to 19 this year, and road deaths were brought down from 61 to 20.
The minister states that most fatal crashes involved pedestrians, hit and run, vehicles overturning, and head-on collisions.
PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES
The minister highlighted that pedestrian fatalities on the roads are still a major challenge for the department.
“Pedestrians continue to represent a disproportionately large share of the road toll, underscoring the ongoing vulnerability of non-motorised road users.”
“The contribution of pedestrians to fatalities is 44%, passengers contributed 28%, drivers contributed 26%, and cyclists contributed two percent 2%,” she said.
Creecy explained that alcohol misuse, speeding, fatigue, and unsafe pedestrian behaviour remain the dominant risk factors.
She reported that 2,364 drivers were arrested for drunken driving, 236 for driving at excessive speeds, and 178 for reckless and negligent driving.
Meanwhile, 53 pedestrians were arrested for jaywalking on freeways and 26 motorists were arrested for attempting to bribe traffic officers.
The minister reported a 16.2% increase in arrests compared to the previous year, attributing this rise to intensified law enforcement efforts.
She says the department will maintain 24-hour high visibility patrols on highways and secondary routes in the upcoming days to ensure road safety.
