Transport deputy minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa has challenged SA’s automotive industry to take a leading role in reducing road deaths, saying safer vehicles, stricter law enforcement and improved road infrastructure will be crucial if the country is to halve road fatalities by 2030.
Addressing the National Youth Development Agency Automotive Expo at the East London Industrial Development Zone recently, Hlengwa said the government aimed to reduce road fatalities by 45% by 2029 and 50% by 2030.
He said the targets could only be achieved through a joint effort involving the government, motorists, communities and the automotive sector.
“The automotive sector is key in assisting us to reach these targets.
“One of the key aspects of our road safety planning is the role that the automotive industry can play,” Hlengwa said.
He said advances in vehicle engineering and safety technology could help prevent crashes and reduce unnecessary deaths on South African roads.
“The sector has a role to play in car engineering for road safety, in ensuring that vehicles are responsive and that technology assists us in responding timeously and preventing unnecessary loss of life.”
Hlengwa described SA’s road safety situation as a national crisis, revealing that 11,469 people died on the country’s roads last year.
He said pedestrians accounted for 44% of road fatalities, with nearly 40% of those killed between the ages of 25 and 39.
Weekends remained the deadliest period on South African roads, and black people continued to bear the greatest burden of fatal crashes.
“Eighty percent of the people dying on our roads are black people and the majority of those who die are men,” he said.
The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) said safer vehicles alone would not solve the road safety crisis, arguing that ageing vehicles, deteriorating roads and inconsistent law enforcement were also contributing to the high death toll.
AA chief executive Bobby Ramagwede said the association had spent nearly a decade highlighting safety shortcomings in vehicles sold locally through its #SaferCarsForAfrica campaign.
“Entry-level and popular cars sold in SA often lack the structural integrity and standard safety features, such as airbags and electronic stability control, that are available in identical models sold in developed markets,” Ramagwede said.
He said improving minimum vehicle safety standards would help reduce the severity of crashes and save lives.
Ramagwede also renewed the AA’s call for mandatory roadworthy testing every time a vehicle licence is renewed, saying thousands of unroadworthy vehicles and taxis remained on South African roads.
“Compulsory roadworthy checks during licence renewals will help remove unsafe vehicles from our roads and contribute to a lower road death toll,” he said.
The AA is also pushing for an end-of-life vehicle strategy that would see dangerous ageing vehicles phased off South African roads through stricter safety and environmental standards.
Ramagwede said discussions with government regulators were continuing around vehicle age and condition requirements to prevent heavily deteriorated vehicles from remaining in circulation.
He said stronger enforcement was equally important.
“Active rather than passive law enforcement is another critical area of concern,” Ramagwede said.
“We need visible, regular law enforcement on our roads to improve compliance and protect road users.”
The AA chief executive said poor road conditions were increasing the risks faced by motorists and pedestrians.
“Ageing road infrastructure, the lack of repairs, outdated road signage, potholes and heavy freight traffic all add up to a dangerous road environment that contributes to road deaths.”
Hlengwa also warned against the growing trend of motorists creating content for social media while driving.
“Content creation by travelling people kills our people. People are driving while their focus is somewhere else and they cause crashes.
“A picture can wait, a video can wait. People are dying for social media likes these days,” he said.
Ramagwede agreed that distracted driving had become one of the country’s leading road safety threats.
“Using a mobile phone while driving is far more dangerous than most motorists realise.
“But modern vehicles with large infotainment touchscreens can be just as distracting because drivers take their eyes off the road for too long while navigating multiple controls,” he said.
The provincial transport department echoed Hlengwa’s call for collective action, saying road deaths continued to be driven by a combination of dangerous driving behaviour and vulnerable road users.
Department spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the province’s latest fatality figures were still being verified through national processes.
“Fatality statistics are subject to ongoing verification and consolidation through the relevant national processes,” Binqose said.
He said the department’s experience pointed to speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless and negligent driving, pedestrian vulnerability and noncompliance with traffic regulations as the leading contributors to serious and fatal crashes.
Binqose said pedestrian safety remained a priority, particularly in communities where people and vehicles shared road space.
He said the department continued to implement road safety and law enforcement initiatives across the province through targeted operations, road-user education programmes, public awareness campaigns and increased enforcement against high-risk offences, including drunk driving and reckless driving.
“As we approach the festive season, these interventions will be intensified, with law-enforcement agencies working together to ensure greater visibility on our roads and to deal firmly with behaviour that places other road users at risk,” Binqose said.
He said the department was also working with municipalities, communities, law-enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to improve road safety and protect vulnerable road users.
Hlengwa renewed the government’s call for motorists to avoid drinking and driving, saying alcohol remained one of the leading contributors to fatal crashes.
“Do not drink and drive. There is no excuse for getting behind the wheel when you are under the influence of alcohol.
“Your decision can destroy your life and the lives of innocent people,” he said.
He said SA could not continue accepting road deaths as a normal part of everyday life when many crashes were preventable.
Binqose said achieving safer roads ultimately depended on every person changing their behaviour.
“The responsibility for reducing road deaths cannot rest with the government alone. Every road user has a role to play.
“The target of safer roads can only be achieved through a collective commitment to responsible road use and respect for the lives of others,” he said.