The 2011/2012 Festive Season is over and the stats are in…

South Africa’s Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has released preliminary road fatality figures for the 2011/2012 festive season until 10th January.

Approximately 40 people died every day on South Africa’s roads this festive season, up from a previous figure released twelve days ago, while the total number of deaths was down to 1475 from the 2010/2011 figure of 1704.

The previous fatalities per day figure was recorded before the early January traffic surge that saw thousands of South Africans returning home from their holidays, and for 2012, the focus must be to bring the fatality rate down further, reported Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele at a briefing in Pretoria today.

He continued:

The most common causes of the crashes during the 2011/12 festive period include speeding in unfriendly weather conditions, reckless and inconsiderate driving, and abuse of alcohol by drivers and pedestrians. The non-wearing of seat belts has [also] been found to be a major contributor to fatalities or serious injuries.

[Source: TIMES Live]