South Africa recorded the lowest number of road crashes and fatalities this Easter weekend compared with the past few years.
“Crashes were reduced from 209 in 2024 to 141 in 2025, which is a 32.5% overall decrease compared with 2024,” Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said on Tuesday.
According to the Minister, all provinces recorded decreases except the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga, which both recorded an increase in incidents.
“Fatalities were reduced from 307 in 2024 to 167 in 2025, which is a 45.6% decrease. All provinces recorded decreases in fatalities except Mpumalanga, which recorded a 27.3% increase compared with 2024.
"Twenty-eight fatalities were recorded in Mpumalanga compared with 22 in 2024,” Creecy said in Pretoria during a media briefing.
The 2025 Easter Season Road Safety Arrive Alive campaign was launched on 20 March and will run until 2 May, under the theme: ‘It begins with Me’.
Creecy attributed the overall decrease in accidents and fatalities to widespread and consistent law enforcement operations across all nine provinces; coordinated action by national, provincial and local government authorities; and significant partnerships between civil society and government.
“Long weekends are a period when the risk of fatal crashes and fatalities increases because of drunken driving, increased pedestrian movements, sports and social events, including increase traffic volumes on national and provincial routes,” Creecy said.
“These statistics tell us that there is a benefit when we start our communication and education campaign earlier than the travel period. It shows that the involvement of civil society organisation and collaboration of all law enforcement agencies is pivotal in impacting on road user behaviour.”
She added that joint planning by law-enforcement agencies at national, provincial, and municipal level had increased the impact of road safety operations.
Creecy said the Easter weekend statistics were reflective of a broader downward trend in road accidents and accident-related fatalities.
“From January to March, we have seen a 16% decline in the number of fatalities and a 13% decrease in the total number of road accidents. Crashes decreased in eight provinces except Mpumalanga, which recorded the same number of crashes as in the previous year.”
Fatalities decreased in seven provinces except Free State, which had a 5% increase, and Mpumalanga with a 1% increase.
Fatalities involving pedestrians now account for 47% or almost half of all road deaths.
“This shocking reality indicates that our message to pedestrians is not reaching home and we have to do much more work at a local level where these accidents occur.
“Overall, we now believe that it will be possible to meet our target to reduce crashes and fatalities by at least 50% by 2029. Our challenge is to sustain this achievement daily, weekly and monthly,” said Creecy. - SAnews.gov.za
