Western Cape road safety alert: 30 Lives lost in festive season crashes

In just six days, 28 crashes were recorded across the province, resulting in the tragic loss of 30 lives with 11 being pedestrians. Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa urged calm and adherence to traffic laws as moving violations increase ahead of the Christmas and New Year's rush.

A total of 3 007 people were killed in 262 225 traffic crashes over a four-year period, with 68% of the deceased being pedestrians.

Creecy and Hlengwa have denounced moving traffic violations as the number one cause of road crashes, including overtaking on barrier lines and blind rises, which currently lead to head-on collisions.

They said speeding is the leading moving traffic violation recorded since the start of the festive season.

RTMC, Road Traffic Management Corporation has reported 50 000 traffic fines issued over this festive period relating to speeding, and 255 drivers arrested for driving at high-speed and exceeding the speed limit by 40 kilometers an hour.

SANRAL's (South African National Road Agency Limited) counting traffic stations are currently recording an average of over 1,500 to 2,500 vehicles per hour on national roads since the festive season began.

Between 15 and 21 December, 28 crashes were recorded across the province, resulting in the tragic loss of 30 lives, alarmingly, 11 of those were pedestrians.

Provincial Traffic Law Enforcement made 98 arrests, of which 56 accounted for driving under the influence of alcohol. A further 154 speeding offences were recorded, with the highest speed clocked at 161km/h in a 120km/h zone.

The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate released its latest Traffic Crash Report that provides statistics on all reported road traffic crashes that happened in Cape Town from 2021 to 2024. 

According to the report, a total of 3 007 people were killed in 262 225 traffic crashes over this four-year period; that is on average, one death every 11 hours and 40 minutes, with 68% of the deceased being pedestrians.

City’s Mayoral Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas explained: ‘It is absolutely shocking to see how many people are killed and injured on our roads every day, and that the majority by far are pedestrians who are extremely vulnerable in an environment where drivers often speed or don’t stop at red traffic signals.

 Facts on Cape Town Traffic Crashes (2021-2024):

• Fatalities and Injuries: 3,007 people were killed in 252,225 reported crashes, averaging one death every 11 hours and 40 minutes. 49,302 people were injured.
• • Annual deaths: 739 (2021), 779 (2022), 785 (2023), 704 (2024).
  • Annual crashes: 56,424 (2021), 66,332 (2022), 66,593 (2023), 72,876 (2024).
    
    
• Averages: 181 crashes occurred daily. Fatal crashes were under 1% of all cases.
  
  
• Victim Demographics: 68% of those killed were pedestrians, followed by drivers (14%), passengers (12%), motorcyclists (5%), and cyclists (1%). 76% were male and 24% female. 3,124 children (ages 1-14) were involved.
  
  
• Worst Times: Friday and Tuesday were the worst days. Most crashes happened during the morning (07:00-09:00) and evening (17:00-18:00) peak hours.
  
  
• Cost: The annual cost of crashes exceeded R7 billion in 2024 alone.

Western Cape Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku said the figures are a sobering reminder of the responsibility every road user carries: "We appeal to every motorist and pedestrian to make responsible choices so that families are not robbed of loved ones during this festive season.”

Chief Director: Traffic Management Maxine Bezuidenhout reaffirmed the commitment of traffic teams on the ground. “Our provincial traffic officers, together with local traffic and emergency partners, remain deployed across the Western Cape, day and night. Enforcement is firm, but our ultimate goal is not fines or arrests,  it is saving lives."

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