News24.com | Gauteng traffic police say preliminary data shows more than 200 road fatalities over festive season

Gauteng Traffic Police are seen at a roadblock during the festive season.

• Gauteng traffic police have revealed that preliminary data shows that more than 200 road traffic fatalities have been recorded since the start of the festive season.
• Of those, nearly half were pedestrians.
• Traffic police in the province have intensified their deployment as the festive season comes to an end. 

Preliminary statistics indicate that Gauteng traffic police have recorded more than 200 road traffic fatalities, around half of whom were pedestrians, since the start of the festive season.

In a statement on Sunday, traffic police announced that they had intensified deployment along all major routes in the province to ensure the safety of road users as the holiday season comes to end.

"The officers will embark on a series of heightened law enforcement activities which will be carried out across the province at identified freeways and hotspots," Gauteng traffic police spokesperson Sello Maremane said.

He added:

The intensified deployment follows what traffic police said were serious forms of dangerous driving, disregard to traffic signals and passengers overloading - all experienced in Gauteng over the festive season.

Most recently, three children died in Salvokop, Pretoria in an accident, after a BMW driver was caught "car-spinning", Maremane said.

In another incident, a pedestrian was hit by a VW Polo on the R101 near Hammanskraal.

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"Preliminary statistics indicate that Gauteng province has recorded over 200 road traffic fatalities since the beginning of the festive season period with pedestrians accounting for almost 50% of the fatalities," said Maremane

"It is very concerning that pedestrians continue to form a high number of road fatalities. This high pedestrian mortality rate is attributable to not wearing reflective gear at night, violation of traffic signals, distracted walking, distracted driving, using public roads while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and jaywalking, amongst others.

"To this end, the Gauteng traffic police will also deploy road safety practitioners in built-up areas situated along the freeways as well as other roads identified as dangerous - to enhance road user knowledge and to increase pedestrian compliance with road traffic rules and signs," Maremane added.

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Maremane said that through the deployment of officers, the Gauteng traffic police would continue to work together with various law enforcement agencies and coordinate operations through data-driven projects to reduce road fatalities, respond to reported incidents and support police with crime prevention and combatting initiatives in the province.

The Gauteng traffic police also sent their condolences to families and friends who lost loved ones on the roads during the festive season.