Road deaths down 7%

2003-12-23 13:10

Pretoria - The number of deaths on South African roads in the first three weeks of December has dropped by seven percent compared to the same period last year, the Transport Department said on Tuesday.

This was despite a five to six percent increase in traffic volumes on most routes, it said in a statement.

So far this month, 614 people have died in 511 crashes, compared with 659 deaths from 525 crashes in the first three weeks of last December.

The rate of deaths per crash has decreased from 1.25 last year to 1.2, the department said.

"Although the department would like to see a far larger reduction in the number of crashes, it is encouraging to see that the Arrive Alive campaign has been effective in maintaining road safety during this initial period of the festive season."

The department expressed concern at the high rate of pedestrian deaths - about 40% of the total.

It said about 90% of accidents were the result of traffic violations.

Traffic officials have suspended nearly 4 000 unroadworthy vehicles and issued 177 110 notices for faulty vehicles and illegal drivers. Five thousands tickets were issued for faulty brakes.

"Each and every death is one too many, and we again emphasise the need for the public to accept co-responsibility with government to reduce fatalities," the department said.

- SAPA