235 people were killed in road accidents during the Easter break in South Africa

MEYERTON, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 25: (SOUTH AFRICA AUS) Emergency services at the crash site of a bus accident outside of Meyerton, South Africa on June 25, 2012. Nineteen people were killed and approximately 54 injured after the bus hit the rails of a bridge and crashed 10m to the ground. (Photo by Felix Dlangamandla / Foto24 / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

South Africa recorded 235 deaths on the streets during the Easter break, figures from Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula showed on Thursday.

“According to the preliminary figures, 189 accidents were registered, in which 235 people were killed nationwide,” said the minister.

Compared to 2019, “the number of accidents was reduced by 2.1 percent and the number of deaths by 9.6 percent. This is despite the growth in population and vehicle population, ”he said. “Our relative success is due to early preparation with community awareness and awareness campaigns, improved visibility of law enforcement officers, stakeholder engagement and a high profile media campaign.”

Mbalula cited several factors as the causes of the road deaths.

“The carnage that we continue to see on our roads is influenced by a number of factors, mostly embedded in human behavior, vehicle factors and environmental factors on roads,” he said.

Mbalula said it was worrying that 35 percent of road victims were pedestrians. Drunk walking, highway crossing, and jaywalking all played a role in pedestrian killings.

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