South Africa sees 21% drop in festive season road fatalities, yet risks remain high
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy announces a more than 20% decline in road fatalities so far this festive season.
Image: GCIS
Road fatalities have declined by just over 20% midway through South Africa’s 2025 festive season, but Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has cautioned that the improvement remains fragile as peak holiday travel lies ahead.
Presenting the mid-term review of the 2025 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign on Friday, Creecy said preliminary data for December 1 to 16 shows a 20.9% reduction in fatal crashes and a 20.8% decrease in fatalities compared with the same period last year.
“We are seeing a decrease in the number of fatalities and remain positive about our current efforts,” Creecy said.
“However, this early encouraging trend masks the ongoing reality of road trauma across the country.”
According to the Department of Transport, fatal crashes dropped from 545 last year to 431 this year, while deaths declined from 638 to 505, meaning 113 lives have been saved so far this festive season. The average number of fatalities per day now stands at 32, the lowest recorded in five years.
Despite the overall improvement, Creecy stressed that lives continue to be lost daily, particularly among pedestrians. In the Western Cape alone, 66 people were killed in 55 crashes during the first half of December.
“Pedestrians continue to represent a disproportionately large share of the road toll,” she said, noting that pedestrians account for 44% of fatalities, followed by passengers at 28%, drivers at 26% and cyclists at 2%.
Gauteng remains the province contributing the highest number of deaths, despite a 12% reduction in crashes. The province recorded 105 fatalities in 95 crashes, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 88 deaths, Mpumalanga with 69, and the Eastern Cape with 52.
The Free State emerged as the best-performing province, recording a 67.2% decrease in fatalities.
“The Free State managed to bring major crashes from 40 last year this time to 19 this year, while road deaths were brought down from 61 to 20,” Creecy said.
By contrast, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape recorded year-on-year increases in fatalities, underscoring what the minister described as “stubbornly high” behavioural risks.
Creecy identified alcohol abuse, speeding, fatigue and unsafe pedestrian behaviour as the leading contributors to fatal crashes. She added that heavy rainfall and thunderstorms during the review period also “had a devastating impact on our campaign”.
“The data at mid-season tell us that enforcement is having an impact on incident rates, but fatal crashes are still occurring at unacceptable levels,” she said.
Law enforcement operations have been significantly ramped up, with 639 roadblocks conducted nationwide, during which 714,371 vehicles were stopped and checked. Authorities issued 168,427 traffic fines, discontinued 3,695 unroadworthy vehicles, and impounded 2,552 public transport vehicles.
Arrests have risen sharply, with 2,364 drivers arrested for drunken driving, nearly double last year’s figure.
“We increased drunken driving arrests by 97.8% this year compared to last year,” Creecy said.
Other arrests included 236 motorists for excessive speed, 178 for reckless and negligent driving, 53 pedestrians for jaywalking on freeways, and 26 motorists for attempting to bribe traffic officers.
Among the most extreme cases was a Gauteng motorist caught travelling at 193km/h in a 120km/h zone, while an Eastern Cape driver recorded a breath alcohol level of 2.38 milligrams per 1,000 millilitres, “ten times above the country’s legal breath alcohol limit”.
With Christmas and New Year travel still to come, Creecy warned that enforcement would intensify further.
“As we approach the peak travel period around Christmas and New Year, Government will adopt a zero-tolerance approach to lawlessness on the roads,” she said.
“Enforcement will be firm, visible and consistent, because every life matters.”
The department will maintain 24-hour high-visibility patrols, daily alcohol operations, and targeted policing in areas with high pedestrian movement.
Creecy urged all South Africans to take responsibility for road safety, emphasising that “every road death is preventable”.
“To all road users, I reiterate the call to: never drink and drive, obey speed limits, ensure your vehicle is roadworthy, rest before long trips and wear seatbelts,” she said, adding that passengers should challenge unsafe driving and hosts should prevent drunk driving at festive gatherings.
Creecy says the mid-term results show both progress and risk.
“Progress is possible, but it is fragile. Gains can be reversed quickly if discipline is not maintained and responsibility ignored,” she said.
“Let us ensure that the remainder of this festive season is remembered not for tragedy, but for lives saved and families reunited safely.”
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