There has been a 45.6% decrease in the number of people killed on the roads this Easter period, with Transport Minister Barbara Creecy attributing the decline in accidents and fatalities to intensified law enforcement and strong collaboration among all levels of government.

Consistent operations by traffic authorities across all nine provinces, along with coordinated efforts between national, provincial and local agencies, played a crucial role in improving road safety and reducing the number of lives lost on the road.

“Significant partnerships between civil society and government resulted in significant messaging that impacted positively on driver behaviour through our ‘it begins with me’ campaign,” Creecy told reporters in Pretoria on Tuesday.

She said Easter 2025 marked the lowest number of road accidents and fatalities recorded in the past three years. National crash figures dropped significantly, from 209 in 2024 to 141 this year, reflecting a 32% overall decrease.

While most provinces reported a decline in accidents, the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga were the only exceptions, both showing an uptick in crash numbers.

“Fatalities were reduced from 307 in 2024 to 167 in 2025 which is a 45.6% decrease. All provinces recorded decreases in fatalities except Mpumalanga which recorded a 27.3% increase compared to 2024. Twenty-eight fatalities were recorded in Mpumalanga compared to 22 in 2024,” Creecy said.

Law enforcement ramped up operations nationwide. Over 177,000 vehicles were stopped, leading to more than 44,000 traffic fines. Authorities impounded 1536 vehicles and discontinued 2018.

Furthermore, 941 motorists were arrested for drunk driving, 89 for speeding, 12 pedestrians for jaywalking and eight individuals for attempting to bride officials.

According to Creecy, the latest figures highlighted the value of launching road safety awareness and education campaigns well ahead of the peak travel period.

She emphasised that the active participation of civil society organisations played a critical role in shaping safer road user behaviour.

“The Easter weekend statistics are reflective or a broader downward trend in road accidents and accident-related fatalities. From January to March, we have seen a 16% decline in the number of fatalities and a 13% decrease in the total number of road accidents,” Creecy added.

“Overall we now believe that it will be possible to meet our target to reduce crashes and fatalities by at least 50% by 2029. Our challenge is to sustain this achievement daily, weekly and monthly.”

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It said on Thursday that interventions would involve traditional leaders and engaging public transport operators. There would also be a focus on districts that a rate of crashes.

“The analysis of fatal crash statistics since the start of the festive season has revealed the Amathole district in the Eastern Cape in one of the top 10 districts experiencing a high number of crashes and fatalities nationally.

“The district is one of seven districts in the province, and it stretches from Idutywa to Fort Beaufort and includes towns such as Butterworth and Stutterheim,” it said in a statement.

Statistics show that fatal accidents in the district involve public transport vehicles that have travelled long distances from Gauteng or the Western Cape without taking a break.

The RTMC said that other areas that would be focused on included eThekwini, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Tshwane, Capricorn, Ekurhuleni, Cape Winelands, Vhembe and Fezile Dabi.

It said that the roads were expected to be busy until 6 January.

Motorists were urged to plan their routes appropriately and avoid travelling at night. A total of 37.6% of fatal crash occur between 6pm and 1am.

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