The 2024/2025 festive season road safety report, released by the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy on 20 January 2025, revealed that a shocking 41% of all road fatalities in South Africa were pedestrians.
‘Pedestrian fatalities remain a huge concern,’ Creecy
During the 2024/2025 festive season, 41% of all road fatalities were pedestrians. The highest percentage of pedestrian fatalities took place in Gauteng, the Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. These are the most populous provinces in the country in terms of vehicles and people.
Gauteng had the highest pedestrian fatalities at 63,84%, followed by the Western Cape with 53,9% and KwaZulu-Natal with 44,33%.
Road safety for pedestrians
In her address, the Minister emphasised the importance of pedestrians taking necessary precautions when using roads to avoid becoming part of road fatality statistics.
She outlined the following pedestrian safety measures:
- Do not consume alcohol and then walk on the roads.
- Ensure that you are visible at night and walk in properly lit areas.
- Avoid jaywalking – walking in a road or crossing a street in a way that breaks traffic laws.Â
- Cross the road at a pedestrian crossing or where it is safe to do so.
South Africa’s roads a ‘very serious problem’
Minister Creecy emphasised at the beginning of her address that there is a significant amount of work required to decrease the high number of deaths on South African roads.
During the 2024/25 festive season, there was a 5,3% increase in fatalities on the roads in comparison to the 2023/24 festive season. Also, there was a 4,2% increase in the number of vehicle crashes.
Creecy stated that the statistics clearly show that ‘South African road users continue to disobey the traffic laws with no regard for human life’ and that this has had and continues to have tragic consequences. She described the current situation on the country’s roads as a ‘very serious problem’.
‘I want to say this very clearly, loud and clear for all of us to hear: We, South Africans, must change our behaviour on the roads,’ said Barbara Creecy.
Are you surprised by these statistics, or is it in line with what you would have expected?
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