Easter holidays: At least 16 people KILLED on Gauteng roads
Gauteng Traffic Police has attributed the road fatalities this Easter break mostly to driver behaviour, including speeding and overloading
The preliminary statistics from the Easter season indicate that more than 16 road fatalities have been recorded on Gauteng roads. This is according to Gauteng Traffic Police Spokesperson Sello Moerane. Eight of those who lost their lives are pedestrians.
South Africans are now driving back home on Monday, 18 April 2022, after having spent the Easter weekend, which means there are high traffic volumes on several roads. Traffic authorities have warned motorists to drive with caution during the long weekend, so as to avoid tragedy on this Easter break.
“Many motorists are expected to be driving back to Gauteng province following the long weekend. The province has recorded several crashes and fatalities since the beginning of the Easter Road Safety campaign last Thursday,” he said.
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ROAD FATALITIES MOSTLY ATTRIBUTED TO DRIVER BEHAVIOUR
Further remarking on the road deaths this Easter, Gauteng Traffic Police say much of the horror experienced on the road is due to driver behaviour. These include public transport operators overloading their vehicles, drunk driving, reckless and negligent driving, speeding, unsafe overtaking and utilising vehicles that are not roadworthy.
“The Gauteng Traffic Police through its Road Safety Education unit will conduct activations in various corridors to encourage road users to use the road responsibly in order to prevent unnecessary road injuries and deaths resulting from road traffic crashes. The Gauteng Traffic Police will also be on high alert to deal decisively with road traffic violations,”
Gauteng Traffic Police Spokesperson Sello Moerane
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula will likely give an update on the national road statistics from the current Easter period. Last year, more than 200 people lost their lives on the roads during Easter. Mbalula said 35% of those killed were pedestrians.
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