KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the North West reported the highest incidents of fatal crashes, with KwaZulu-Natal accounting for 17 and Gauteng and North West for 10 each.
Most of the fatal crashes (26,6%) occurred on Easter Saturday and the least (12,3%) on Easter Monday.
Safeguarding
In a press statement, Dipesh Radia, chief commercial officer at Momentum Insure, urged South Africans to be proactive and make safety a central part of their Easter travel plans.
“Whether you are travelling across provinces or just heading out for the day, road safety is a collective effort. Understanding what support is available to you, before you need it, can make a real difference.”
He stated that motorist needed to start off by familiarising themselves with what was available to them in an emergency, such as their insurer’s emergency support tools, crash detection services and roadside assistance, and ensure that these were activated and working properly by the time they began travelling.
“Many insurance apps these days included real-time safety features that could alert emergency responders if you are involved in a serious accident. Some even do so automatically when it detects a severe collision,” he said.
Secondly, he urged motorists to use map apps to avoid peak traffic periods and identify safe routes. Regular stops, ideally every two hours, also needed to be scheduled into the travel time to allow motorists to stay fresh and focused, especially on long-haul trips.
“A rushed driver is a risky driver. Speeding, aggressive overtaking and fatigue are common factors in Easter-related crashes,” Radia said.
Motorists also needed to perform a safety check on their vehicles before travelling, inspecting everything from tyres to brake lights, wipers, oil and water levels, and brake pads.
Radia said that Momentum Insure received many claims that came down to avoidable mechanical issues.
“Don’t leave things to chance. A quick check before you leave can prevent a major incident later.”
Government action
Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy launched the 2025 Easter Road Safety Arrive Alive campaign in March. The campaign aims to prioritise and promote safer road use during the Easter weekend, and to ensure the smooth flow of traffic, while helping to prevent negligent and reckless driving.
At a road safety effort held on 13 April in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, Creecy said that they had arrested 200 people for drunken driving over the weekend in the province, with 59 being arrested in only one of the districts of the province.
As part of the Arrive Alive campaign, she said that police visibility will be increased in Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, which accounted for more than 76% of road accidents and road deaths in Easter 2024, especially in the early hours of the morning when recklessness and driver misbehaviour are most prevalent.
She said that national and provincial government, as well as municipalities, were working across the country in joint operation centres, running joint initiatives together with the South African Police Service to make the roads safer this Easter.
Several civil society organisations, the private sector and the liquor industry have also joined in to encourage drivers to behave more responsibly on the roads and to ensure that human error are removed as a factor in in road accidents.
“About 80% of road accidents are caused by human error, because of speeding, texting while driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, and fatigue, [as well as pedestrians] walking over highways,” she said.
Since the campaign was launched, 83 000 vehicles have been stopped, 4 110 traffic fines issued, 334 drivers arrested for various offences, which does not include the 200 of the past weekend, and 290 vehicles have been impounded for failing to comply with road regulations.
“We plead with motorists to plan routes carefully, especially considering that we are expecting heavy rainfall over the course of the Easter weekend, and we know that this could lead to slippery roads that could lead to more accidents. Motorists and their passengers should also wear seatbelts and babies and small children [should be placed] in [car seats or booster chairs]. Also make use of a hands-free kit and don’t text or look at your phone while driving,” she said.
