Festive season fatalities still shocking

While the Festive Season preliminary crash stats showed a welcome decline in both deaths and incidents there was a concerning spike in arrests for drunken driving – the reporting period, spanning  December 1, 2025 to January 11 recorded 1 427 fatalities resulting from 1 172 crashes.

This represents a 5% reduction in both fatalities and crashes compared to the previous festive period and marks the lowest crash tally in five years. Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy described the figures as indicative of "cautious progress," while emphasising that the loss of life remains unacceptably high.

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A detailed breakdown shows five provinces achieved reductions in fatalities, led by the Eastern Cape and Free State. However, four provinces – Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and the Northern Cape – saw fatalities rise. The data confirms a persistent pattern where the highest concentration of incidents, over 40%, occurred during the mid-festive weeks of December 15 yo 28, once travellers had reached their destinations.

"The data re-confirms festive season crashes and fatalities increase once travellers have reached their destinations and are engaging in festivities rather than during the peak travel periods," says Creecy. Most crashes occurred during weekend evening and night-time hours, involving pedestrians, single-vehicle overturns and head-on collisions.

A significant point of concern raised in the report is the protection of child passengers. While specific audited figures for the period are pending, historical data indicates children account for approximately one in 10 road fatalities nationally. The Department highlighted a sustained focus on enforcing child restraint laws during the campaign.

The most pronounced statistic, however, was a 144% increase in arrests for drunk driving. Law enforcement officers conducted 1 632 roadblocks, stopping 1,8-million vehicles. From 173 695 drivers screened for alcohol, 8 561 tested positive. One motorist in KwaZulu-Natal was found with a breath alcohol content 14 times the legal limit.

In parallel, authorities arrested 525 individuals for excessive speeding, including one driver in the Northern Cape recorded at 222 km/h in a 120 km/h zone. A further 89 motorists were arrested for attempting to bribe officers.

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The Department’s integrated approach included 2 500 physical education and awareness programmes, alongside targeted media campaigns. Minister Creecy framed the challenge as one of shared responsibility, calling for sustained year-round enforcement, safer road engineering, and accountable private sector involvement in areas like scholar transport.

Preliminary annual statistics for the full 2025 calendar year show a continued downward trajectory, with 11 418 fatalities from 9 674 crashes. This is a 6,2% reduction in fatalities and a 6,4% reduction in crashes compared to 2024.

International Context for Road Fatalities

The global landscape of road safety presents varied challenges. The following table lists the road traffic death rates per 100 000 population for a selection of countries, based on the latest published figures from the World Health Organization and national transport authorities, provided for comparative context.

The Department of Transport says the full, audited festive season report, including finalised data on child fatalities, will be released later in the year. (Read my comment in the February issue of ALL THINGS MOTORING International magazine [https://www.allthingsmotoringinternational.com/magazine] going live on February 1)

Colin Windell for Colin-on-Cars in association with

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