WEDNESDAY, 7 APRIL 1999
The Minister of Transport, Mac Maharaj, today announced that there was a 6,8% reduction in reported road deaths over the Easter long weekend. Releasing the provisional figures, Maharaj said that 221 people were killed in 134 vehicle crashes between Thursday April 1 and Monday April 5. This compares to 237 deaths in 169 fatal crashes reported for Easter 1998.
The Western Cape recorded the highest number of road deaths with 53 fatalities (33 crashes) followed by Northern Province with 34 (16 crashes) and KwaZulu-Natal also with 34 (23 crashes). Fatalities in the other provinces are as follows: Northern Cape 26 (2 crashes), Gauteng 19 (16 crashes, North West 18 (13 crashes), Mpumalanga 14 (11 crashes), Eastern Cape 13 (13 crashes) and Free State 10 (7 crashes).
The most significant changes recorded this Easter in comparison to last year's figures are a more than 50% reduction in fatalities in Gauteng from 45 to 19. Lower fatality figures were also recorded in Free State, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. Unfortunately some provinces did record a higher number of fatalities this year. This can be attributed to a number of crashes involving passenger carrying vehicles. Adding to this are three crashes resulting in 11 fatalities involving agricultural tractors on farm property.
It should also be noted that the fatality rate per vehicle crash was higher this year than it was in 1998. Quite simply, this means more people were killed per crash than was the case in previous years.
While Maharaj welcomed the significant reduction in the number of fatal crashes, he said that there were far too many fatalities on our roads. "The significant increase in the number of passenger fatalities this Easter is cause for great concern."
Traffic volumes: Traffic volumes were slightly higher and followed the same pattern as last year's with highest peaks on Thursday and Monday. A slight decrease in the number of vehicles travelling through the Free State was noed on Monday.
Contributory factors: Initial indications show that the major contributory factors to fatal crashes over this period are speed, fatigue, alcohol and pedestrians jay-walking. A summary of these factors shows that some form of human factor contributed to 56,9% of fatal crashes. Road and environmental factors played a role in 24,8% of fatal crashes and vehicle factors 18,3%.
It is pertinent to note that statistics show the human element played a greater role - over 65% - in those provinces with the highest fatality rate.
Speed: Speed remains a major problem and is a contributing factor in 75% of all fatal vehicle crashes. This is borne out by information obtained from electronic speed measuring systems used over the Easter weekend which indicated that, on average, 40% of all vehicles on national routes were exceeding the speed limit.
Alcohol: Information obtained from various trauma units and research in the Western Cape indicates that alcohol is a contributory factor in 50 - 60% of total crashes.
Fatigue: Fatigue, always difficult to prove, is claimed to be a direct cause in 3,8% of fatal crashes, while overtaking when it was either unsafe or unlawful, accounted for 5,7% of recorded fatal crashes.
Vehicle factors: Moving to the vehicles, tyre bursts prior to crashes are said to have contributed 15,1% of fatal crashes.
Overloading of cargo and/or passengers contributed to 2,8% of crashes and faulty lighting caused 2,8% of accidents.
Environmental and road factors: Of the ten measured road and environmental factors which contributed towards 24,8% of all fatal crashes during Easter 1999, poor visibility was said to be the major contributing factor in 16% of these crashes. Poor street lighting was blamed in 7,5% of cases followed by sharp bends and narrow roads (3,8% and 2,8% respectively). Road works contributed for 0,9% of fatal crashes.
Types of crashes: The highest number of deaths, 81 occurred as a result of vehicles overturning, some 39 such incidents were recorded around the country. A further 25 people died in seven head-on collisions, which is indicative of both speed and fatigue.
There were seven crashes involving bicycles.
Areas: 32 fatal crashes occurred in built up areas and 102 outside city or town limits.
Routes: The routes with the most fatalities were:
N1 between Beaufort West and Three Sisters: 5
R27 between Nieuwoudtville and Vanrhynsdorp: 11
N12 between Kimberly and Warrenton: 17
N3 between Durban and Escourt: 8
R33 between Vryheid and Paul Pietersburg: 5
R507 between Klerksdorp and Setlagole: 5
N1 between Pretoria and Naboomspruit: 14
R71 between Pietersburg and Tzaneen: 6
Vehicles involved: Of the 170 vehicles involved in the 134 fatal crashes, 42% of 71 were passenger cars. Light commercial vehicles accounted for 33 or 19,4% of the total vehicles involved.
Minibus taxis accounted for 10,6% of the total vehicles involved in fatal crashes.
Other vehicle types involved in fatal crashes were:
Heavy commercial vehicles: 10
Minibuses: (not taxis) 10
Buses: 5
Bicycles: 7
Tractors: 3
Others: 11
Taxi related crashes: Minibus taxis accounted fro 10,6 of the vehicles involved in fatal crashes. A total of 51 people, four of them pedestrians, were killed in these crashes.
17 people died in a minibus taxi in the Northern Cape which is alleged to have been unroadworthy at the time. Its entire wheel came off and the vehicle rolled across the road into the oncoming traffic.
A further four people died in KwaZulu-Natal in an overloaded minibus taxi carrying 21 persons, after a tyre burst, and five in a minibus taxi which overturned in KwaZulu-Natal after it lost control due to excessive speed.
Occupants of vehicles: A total of 164 people died in vehicles. Of these 45 were drivers and 119 passengers. The breakdown reads as follows: Minibuses 45; Passenger cars 65; Bakkies 16; Buses 11; Tractors 10; Bicycles 7; Taxis 45.
Pedestrians: in all, 57 pedestrians were killed.
Age and gender: 44% of people killed were between the ages of 19 and 39 years old - these represent the economically active population. 11 children under the age of 12 were killed. Two of these were cyclists, four were passengers and five pedestrians. Of the total fatalities, 119 were male (35 drivers, 46 passengers and 38 pedestrians); 61 female (5 drivers, 40 passengers and 16 pedestrians). In 41 instances, the gender was unknown either because the bodies were burnt beyond recognition or unrecognisably mutilated.
Time of day: Studying the available information it becomes apparent that the time of day when serious crashes resulting in multiple fatalities occur, is a critical factor. For example, this Easter, a total of 37 people were killed in six crashes which occurred in the early morning or late at night. Of these crashes it is pertinent to note that four involved buses or taxis - passenger carrying vehicles.
Look at the following: A bus crash near Vanrtynsdorp in the Western Cape on April 5 which claimed 11 lives occurred at 03h45. Similarly, 14 people were killed on April 2 when two buses were involved in a six vehicle pile-up on the N1. The crash occurred at 04h00. A crash involving a bakkie and a minibus near Witbank at 22h45 on April 2 left two dead. Seven people were killed in two separate crashes, one in Paulpietersburg the other in Beaufort West, which occurred at 06h30 while three people were killed in a bakkie crash at Villiers at 03h00 in the morning
In total, 60% of fatal crashes took place after dark.
Non-Easter traffic fatalities: A total of 14 people died in traffic definitely not related to Easter traffic movement.
Issued on behalf of: Department of Transport
Issued by: Sasani Communications
Contact: Sylvia Ortlieb
Telephone: (011) 784-2598
E-mail: sylvia@msomi.co.za
For more information visit the Department of Transport website at www.transport.gov.za