Overview
- Preliminary data show 1,427 deaths from 1,172 crashes during 1 December–11 January, a 5% year-on-year decline and the lowest crash count in five years.
- Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said government will move to amend the National Road Traffic Act to outlaw any drinking before driving, though the change is not yet in force.
- Alcohol screening found 8,561 of 173,695 drivers tested positive, a 144% increase from last year, including a KwaZulu-Natal reading at 14 times the legal limit.
- More than 40% of crashes and fatalities occurred between 15 and 28 December, often in evening and early-morning hours after travellers had reached their destinations.
- Enforcement efforts included 1,632 roadblocks, 1.8 million vehicles stopped, over 450,000 fines, 525 speeding arrests and 89 bribery arrests, with fatalities rising in Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape.