Pedestrian lawlessness accounts for 41% of traffic deaths in South Africa.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy reported that 1,502 people perished on South African roads during the festive season in 1,234 fatal collisions, with pedestrians accounting for 41% of the total.
"Our message to pedestrians is clear: if you want to stay alive while using the roads, you must make sure that you: Do not consume alcohol and then walk on the roads; Ensure that you are visible at night and walk in areas that are well lit," said Creecy.
"Avoid jaywalking (the act of pedestrians walking in or crossing a roadway if that act contravenes traffic regulations); and cross the road at pedestrian crossings or where it is safe to do so."
Creecy said law enforcement authorities issued 711,184 penalties for traffic violations around the country.
Drivers who refused to wear seatbelts received 23,607 penalties, while another 16,925 were punished for using mobile phones while driving.
A total of 16,527 automobiles were determined to be unroadworthy.
"To clamp down on drunken driving, speeding and other moving violations, our officers arrested more than 9,550 motorists, with 3,840 individuals arrested for drunken driving," she added.
The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) conducted its own inquiry and discovered a lack of law enforcement on pedestrians. It accused Creecy of not disclosing statistics in this respect.
It added that the bad weather and low visibility on the roadways throughout the festive season made it much more difficult for cars to detect pedestrians.
Martlé Keyter, MISA's chief executive of operations, said that more should be done to promote awareness among pedestrians and take action if they continue to infringe the law.
According to Attorney Henry Shields, the law requires that no pedestrian walk on a road when there is no pavement. If there is no pavement, walk as near to the road's edge as practicable, facing the direction of approaching vehicles.
Pedestrians and bicycles are forbidden from using freeways, and anybody caught strolling along or over them may face arrest.
Any irresponsible conduct by a pedestrian on a roadway is considered a crime, therefore jaywalking is prohibited, and you may even be penalised for walking while inebriated.
Pedestrians must also obey all traffic lights and control signals, and they should use pedestrian bridges when available, even if it means going farther.
IOL