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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The Transport Department will be deploying highly visible law enforcement officers during the busy Easter period.

The campaign aims to enhance road safety, ensure compliance with traffic regulations and reduce accidents during peak travel times.

“National traffic police, SAPS provincial traffic department, Border Management Agency, the metros and local authorities will work together to patrol routes leading to Limpopo, KZN, Mpumalanga, Free State, Eastern Cape and Western Cape. High visibility will be maintained in Gauteng,” Transport Minister Barbara Creecy told reporters in Pretoria on Thursday.

She launched the 2025 Easter Road Safety Campaign under the theme “It begins with me”.

The minister said the campaign focused on promoting safe road use and ensuring smooth traffic flow while preventing reckless and negligent driving that could lead to accidents and fatalities.

According to Creecy, lessons from the past festive season have shaped a stronger road safety strategy through measures that include national traffic police deployment on key routes, enhanced cooperation among traffic authorities, pedestrian arrests on highways and strict enforcement.

“[We issued] fines to 21,282 drivers for speeding and arrested over 3000 drivers for drunk driving during January and February, and impounded 12,000 illegal vehicles,” she said.

“The consequences of these actions is that we saw a 10% month-on-month decline in accidents in January 2025 compared to January 2024, and a 25% decline in accidents when one compares February 2025 with February 2025.”

Running from 20 March to 2 May this year, the road safety campaign focuses on key initiatives such as collaborating with the bus industry on vehicle checks and driver fatigue awareness, engaging faith-based groups for safe travel and inspecting taxis.

“[There are] ongoing meetings with civil society to encourage public campaigns in every sector and area to promote road safety… [and] joint operation centres to promote coordinated action by all law enforcement authorities,” Creecy said.

SA National Taxi Council president Motlhabane Tsebe told reporters that the organisation would intensify its efforts to prioritise road safety starting on Friday, considering the long weekend ahead.

He said the focus would be on major long-distance taxi ranks nationwide.

In collaboration with law enforcement, thorough checks would be conducted to ensure all taxi vehicles comply with required regulations.

“Any vehicle that does not meet the required standards – be it in terms of up-to-date documentation or the condition of the vehicle – it will be removed from the loading bay. We will not compromise when it comes to the safety our passengers,” said Tsebe.

He also reminded drivers that their safety and that of their passengers depended on their vigilance, rest and commitment to responsible driving.

He emphasised the importance of physical and mental preparedness before each journey and encouraged drivers to stop and rest when necessary.

Gauteng transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela said critical stakeholders in the sector working together was important in ensuring road safety.

She said Gauteng had introduced a programme focused on public education and community engagement, as the province recorded high pedestrian fatalities.

Efforts were being made to reach people in key gathering places, such as churches and entertainment venues, to promote road safety.

Automobile Association spokesperson Eleanor Mavimbela stressed the need for an action-oriented approach in dealing with safety, saying that “law enforcer must be visible throughout the Easter period and beyond”.

“Campaigns alone will not solve the crisis. We need ongoing law enforcement, better driver education and proper road maintenance to promote lasting change.”

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