The government is making progress in lowering the number of car accidents. The most recent preliminary data for the time period from January 1 to April 15 shows that crashes are down 11% compared to the same time period in 2026.
“Every province has seen a drop in the number of accidents.” Barbara Creecy, the Minister of Transport, said on, April 20, “There have been 10% fewer deaths than at the same time last year.”
Six provinces saw fewer deaths: Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West, and Eastern Cape.
“This progress didn’t just happen by chance; it happened because law enforcement worked together, civil society formed strategic partnerships, and the way people think about road safety changed. But we can’t just sit back and enjoy our success. Creecy said, “Our work isn’t done until one family gets a knock on the door with news of a tragedy.”
She was talking about the start of the 2026 Arrive Alive Easter Road Safety Campaign, which has the theme “It Begins With Me.” It took place on the N3, near the Spruitview Offramp in the East Rand.
During the Easter holidays, traffic on major roads goes up as people head to different religious and holiday destinations.
The government has asked travellers to be responsible when driving during the upcoming holidays.
“More than 80% of car accidents are caused by people acting in a certain way. We want every driver, passenger, and pedestrian to be responsible for how they act on our roads.
“Our strategy for law enforcement during this time will not change.” “The Minister said, “I have told all agencies to put the safety of pedestrians, public transportation, and freight transportation first.”
This year, there will be a special effort to keep people from walking on and crossing highways.
“We will also patrol areas of entertainment near highways to keep drunk people from running across major roads. Almost half of all road deaths right now are pedestrians.
She said, “For the first time this year, traffic authorities are told to send their students to patrol these important pedestrian areas and not let them go home.”
The South African Police Service (SAPS) and members of the community will help make law enforcement more visible in and around areas where pedestrians are likely to be hurt.
“We’re still putting a lot of effort into stopping drunk driving. We are currently working on changes to Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act to make these rules even stricter.
Creecy said, “High-risk routes, like the N1, N2, N3, and N4, will see an unprecedented number of mobile and static checkpoints. This is because we are stepping up traffic policing on important routes and sending in the National Traffic Police.”
Also, in April, people and goods move more freely across the region, with more people and goods moving between South Africa and its neighbours.
“I ask the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency to step up monitoring and enforcement along important routes to make sure that all permit conditions, regulatory requirements, and overloading of goods and passengers are met.”
The Minister said, “We will also put vehicle roadworthiness and fatigue management at the top of our list of things to do, and we will crack down hard on illegal operations and non-compliance.”
She asked people who use the roads to do so safely and with respect for others.
“I urge people who will be travelling long distances to stagger their travel times to avoid heavy traffic and to stop every two hours to fight off tiredness. “To the people walking: Be seen and don’t cross major highways while drunk,” the Minister said.
