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Unfortunately, with the festive season comes more road fatalities.

The festive season can be characterised by increased travelling to get the jol on, which means more Saffas do long-distance travel and nighttime driving while also consuming more alcohol than normal.

The increase in travel volumes results in excessive speeding; reckless and negligent driving; overloaded public transport vehicles; and driver fatigue.

That’s all according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), which has released its Festive Season Plan for 2023/24 to avoid as many of these issues as possible, per BusinessTech. The plan reveals the most dangerous roads in South Africa during the December holidays, so take notes.

FYI, even though we have already declared summer open, the festive season officially begins on 1 December 2023 and ends on 15 January 2024, representing a period of 46 days.

The RTMC Festive Season plan for 2023/24 highlighted critical routes that have seen more fatal crashes taking place during the past five-year period.

Image: The South African / RTMC’s 10 most hazardous roads in SA over the festive season

Last year’s festive season was pretty brutal on the roads:

According to the RTMC’s data, there were 12,436 fatalities in 2022/23. Of these 12,436 fatalities, last year’s festive season alone accounted for 1,560 – representing 34 motorists killed per day – while 1,299 fatal crashes were recorded over the period.

The top five provinces contributed to over 70% of the fatalities last year:

• Gauteng (19%);
• Eastern Cape (16%);
• Kwa-Zulu Natal (16%);
• Limpopo (12%); and
• Western Cape (10%).

Stats show that pedestrians are the most vulnerable road user group in South Africa; “41% of fatalities on our roads are pedestrians,” the department said. Please watch out for the people.

Some tips from the RTMC to remain safe on the roads over the December jol period are to; be rested (get a good night’s sleep), be cool (don’t drink and drive, and don’t rage), be patient (don’t overtake and be generous), be safe (take the necessary precautions), and be prepared (save emergency contacts in your phone).

May you arrive alive in the new year.

[source:businesstech]