Massive decline in Western Cape 2022/23 festive season road fatalities
- View the festive season statistics infographic.
The overall number of road fatalities in the Western Cape in the 2022/23 festive season was 131, compared to 207 in the 2021/22 festive season and 130 in 2020/21. This represents a massive 36.72% decrease in road fatalities between 2022/23 and 2021/22, and a 23.88% decline in road crashes compared to the 2021/22 festive season. Pedestrian fatalities in the 2022/23 festive season declined by 14.87% compared to 2021/22.
Sixty-three of the 2022/23 festive season deaths took place in 52 crashes on provincial roads, and 68 people were killed in 66 crashes on municipal roads. The festive season in a given year refers to the period 1 December to 11 January. A fatality is a verified death in a road crash within 30 days of that crash having occurred.
“This is a massive achievement”, said Acting Provincial Minister of Mobility Dr Ivan Meyer. “I am proud that we as Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW) Traffic Law Enforcement, Safely Home, Road Safety Management, and Land Transport Safety Management have been able to make our roads safer this past festive season, working closely with our partners in the South African Police Service, other traffic law enforcement entities, Emergency Medical Services, the Provincial Regulatory Entity, the Road Accident Fund, Child Safe, and SANRAL (the South African National Roads Agency). Our efforts received a welcome boost when 85 TLE personnel who graduated from the Gene Louw Traffic College as traffic officers on 9 December were deployed four days later on Western Cape roads”, he added.
The decrease in municipal road fatalities between the 2022/23 festive season and the corresponding period in 2021/22 was 32.68%, and the number of road crashes declined by 28.27%. The decrease in provincial road fatalities between the 2022/23 festive season and the corresponding period in 2021/22 was 36.72%, and the number of crashes declined by 17.47%.
A total of 243 982 vehicles were stopped and checked in the 2022/23 festive season and 2 283 integrated law enforcement operations took place. A total of 239 vehicles were impounded and 1 117 were discontinued in this period. The total number of arrests in the 2022/23 festive season was 680, of which 446 were for driving under the influence, 98 were for fraudulent documentation, 23 were for speeding, and 52 were for reckless and negligent driving. Fourteen people were arrested for bribery, and four for possession of drugs.
“While every arrest is bittersweet, bitter in the sense that someone did something knowing that they were doing something wrong but continuing nonetheless, and sweet because it is one more wrong-doer off our roads, I am especially proud of the number of arrests for bribery,” said Meyer. “This speaks to the ethics of provincial traffic and sends a clear message that in the Western Cape we have a culture of doing the right thing,” he added.
DTPW’s Safely Home programme engaged in road safety communication using social media, radio and billboards. Variable message billboards at strategic locations also offered up-to-date information on road closures, traffic volumes, adverse weather conditions, and road safety awareness messages.
DTPW Road Safety Management officers engaged with 3 047 road users during the 2022/23 festive season, distributing over 8 000 road safety awareness pamphlets and over 1 000 promotional items in the process. They did awareness-raising about the dangers of driving and walking under the influence, using cell phones while driving and walking, fatigued driving, overloading, seatbelt compliance, jaywalking, distracted driving, and distracted walking.
A total of 3 407 habitual traffic transgressor stops were performed in the 2022/23 festive season. Habitual traffic transgressors are motorists who have been identified by the Average Speed Over Distance camera system as repeated speedsters, or who have been issued with over five written notices to appear in court, or who are using a vehicle whose licence has not been renewed in 18 months. When such a motorist is approaching, an alert is sent to officers further along the road to stop the motorist and engage with that person on recorded offences and to warn the person of the consequences of further transgressions.
“I am excited to see the integrated approach to making roads safer with every part of the traffic management team and supporting units working together. This integration ranges from the training of officers by traffic training and development, road users being educated on road safety matters by road safety management, teams in land transport safety engaging our vital freight industry, teams doing quality management and evaluation, the provincial regulatory entity ensuring that public transport conforms to the letter of their operating licences, the Government Motor Transport team ensuring that our officers have a functioning fleet, to our strategy and finance teams who support with logistics and strategic direction. A big thank you has to, however, go to the traffic law enforcement team, the team out on our roads, 24/7, 365. You sacrificed time with your loved ones to ensure that our roads are safe. We salute your sacrifice and hard work,” Meyer said.
“When we look at the number of vehicles stopped and checked and do a simple comparison to the number of vehicles that were impounded and discontinued, and number of arrests, it is clear that the vast majority of our road users are law abiding. Thank you. Thank you for not respecting only your own life but the lives of other road users. Keep supporting us as we continue to live out our passion to make roads safer,” Meyer concluded.
Media Enquiries Daniel Johnson Spokesperson for Acting Minister of Mobility Tel: 021 483 3261 Mobile: 079 990 4231 Email: daniel.johnson@westerncape.gov.za