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There was a 13.2% drop in road deaths on South African roads this festive season, according to figures released by the Department of Transport this week. Despite the fact that they are lower than last year, the numbers are still staggeringly high.
Transport minister Jeff Radebe announced that the total number of fatal crashes over the period December 1 to January 6 decreased by 36 (2,64%) from 1 363 in 2006/07 to 1 327 in 2007/08.
The report showed that the biggest decreases were in the Free State, which showed a decrease of 32 (29,63%) from 108 to 76; in the Northern Cape there was a decrease of seven (16,67%) from 42 to 35; and KwaZulu-Natal showed a decrease of 37 (13,36%) from 277 to 240.
However, the statistics also revealed that there was an increase in the number of fatal crashes in the following areas: Mpumalanga had an increase of 32 (28,32%) from 113 to 145; Limpopo increased by 16 (14,68%) from 109 to 125; and the Western Cape reflected an increase of eight (5,67%) from 141 to 149.
The main cause of accidents was speeding, which accounted for some 50% of all incidents.
Paramedics overwhelmed
It must be added that accident statistics are a lot higher than the death toll. Netcare 911 reported that over the December 16 long weekend, their call centre dealt with 214 motor vehicle collisions and 36 pedestrian collisions, which comes to a total of 250 collision scenes in Gauteng alone.
"The Netcare 911 statistics for the same period for the country are 545 motor vehicle collisions and 91 pedestrian collisions, which comes to a national total of 636 incidents countrywide," said spokesman Nick Dollman.
Here are pictures of some of the accidents to take place on the country's roads this season. They are hard to look at, but we at Health24 hope they will focus the minds of all of our readers on the bitterly cruel realities of carelessness on the roads.
Pic 1: A man was killed in this accident which occurred under the William Nicol Drive bridge on the N1 highway in Johannesburg. ER24 paramedics claimed the exact cause of this accident is not known and the man was declared dead on the scene.
Pics 2 and 3: This car was involved in a collision on the N1 highway between Malibongwe and William Nicol Drives in Johannesburg. Netcare 911 paramedics believe the accident occurred when a Golf lost control and crossed over the middle island and collided with another car that was travelling in the opposite direction. The driver of the Golf was in a critical condition and he sustained head, abdominal and pelvic injuries as well as serious burns to the right side of his body, as the car caught fire after impact. Three other people were seriously injured in the accident and taken to hospital.
Pic 4: Netcare 911 reported this accident in which a man died. "It appears that the car left the highway and collided with the wrong side of the barrier before rolling down an embankment and coming to a standstill in a storm-water drain. The driver was ejected with significant force and he was thrown over two fences - the rear electric fence was over two meteres high." The man was found in the garden area of a townhouse complex next to the N1 highway and was declared dead at the scene.
Pic 5: One man was killed and two passengers were seriously injured when the taxi they were travelling in crashed into a tree in the middle island of the road in Roosevelt Park, Johannesburg, last week. Netcare 911 paramedics claimed that when they arrived on the scene, the sliding door of the minibus was still wrapped around the tree trunk.
How not to be involved in an accident
Mark Stokoe, spokesman for Netcare 911, urged drivers not to slow down at accident scenes to look at what's happening, as this leads to many secondary accidents and puts both drivers and rescue workers at risk.
ER24 issued a similar warning and offered the following tips on safe travel:
- Wear your seatbelt, and make sure everyone else in the car does.
- Do not speed or overtake recklessly - it’s better to get there slowly than not at all.
- Switch your headlights on during the day, as this will increase your visibility remarkably.
Sources: Netcare 911, ER24, Sapa
(Amy Henderson, Health24.com, updated January 2008)
Read more:
Early start to road carnage
Put road safety first
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