Transport minister Barbara Creecy said road safety efforts had shown encouraging signs in the first quarter of 2026.
Speaking at the launch of the ArriveAlive Easter Road Safety Campaign in Gauteng on Friday, she said the number of crashes from January 1 to March 15 had reduced by 11% compared to the same period in 2025 and fatalities had decreased 10% — the lowest number of fatalities in six years.
Six provinces had decreases in fatalities: Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West and the Eastern Cape.
The improved road safety figures continued an encouraging trend following an estimated 5% reduction in crashes and deaths in the past festive season compared to the previous year.
“This progress was not accidental; it is the direct result of co-ordinated law enforcement, strategic partnerships with civil society and a shift in the collective consciousness of our road users,” said Creecy.
“However, we cannot rest on these laurels. As long as one family still receives a knock on the door with news of a tragedy, our work is not done.”
She said the Easter season is a time of spiritual reflection and family reunion but is one of the most hazardous times on the country’s national road network.
“Our mandate is clear: to ensure that every South African who sets out on a journey returns home safely. For the next two months, we reaffirm our theme: ‘It Begins With Me’. This is more than a slogan; it is an appeal for personal accountability.
“Over 80% of road crashes are the direct result of human behaviour. We are calling on every driver, passenger and pedestrian to take ownership of their conduct on our shared roads,” she said.
The law enforcement strategy over this time will be uncompromising and Creecy said priority will be given to public and freight transport safety as well as pedestrians.
Current information on the NATIS system indicates that 342,048 vehicles — mainly minibuses, buses and trucks — are not roadworthy, while 338,659 professional driving permits have expired.
“We are engaging with the taxi and bus industries to address these worrying figures and ensure vehicle roadworthiness. Vehicles found with defective brakes, smooth tyres or steering faults will be impounded immediately to protect passengers,” she added.
Creecy said the number of non-operational vehicle testing stations around the country was concerning, and she has instructed the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to come up with a strategy to get all these facilities back into operation to ensure readiness during high-volume traffic periods in future.
With pedestrians accounting for nearly half of road deaths, there will be a targeted focus on preventing pedestrians from crossing and walking on highways, and there will be patrols at areas of entertainment near highways to prevent inebriated pedestrians running across major roads.
Authorities continue their intensified focus on drunken driving and Creecy is pushing for a zero-tolerance, zero-alcohol limit for drivers, aiming to scrap the existing legal limit of 0.05g/100ml.
She said high-risk routes, including the N1, N2, N3, and N4, will see an unprecedented saturation of mobile and static checkpoints, as authorities intensify traffic policing on critical corridors together with deployment of the National Traffic Police.
Authorities will also prioritise vehicle roadworthiness and fatigue management, and clamp down decisively on illegal operations and non-compliance.
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