Johannesburg – At least 1 427 fatalities were recorded from 1 172 crashes during the festive period, the Department of Transport has revealed.
However, preliminary data indicate a five percent reduction in both fatalities and crashes for this year’s festive season, compared to the same period in the previous year.
Briefing the media on Thursday, 15 January 2026, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said: “The data shows that the 2025/26 festive season recorded the lowest number of crashes in five years, and the same number of fatalities as in the 2023/24 festive season”.
The minister said five provinces reported reductions in fatalities, with the highest percentage reduction in the Eastern Cape, followed by the Free State.
Four provinces, namely Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape, recorded increases in fatalities.
“There was a noticeable increase in the number of crashes and fatalities from 15 to 28 December,” stated Minister Creecy.
“These two weeks contributed more than forty percent to crashes and fatalities.
“This re-confirms that festive season crashes and fatalities increase once travellers have reached their destinations and are engaging in festivities rather than during the peak travel periods.”
The minister said many of the crashes happened over the weekend between 19H00 and 21H00 and between midnight and 01H00.
They involved collisions with pedestrians, hit and run, single vehicle overturns, and head-on collisions.
The highest number of pedestrian fatalities was reported in the City of Cape Town, City of Johannesburg, eThekwini, Nkangala District, and the City of Tshwane.
The types of vehicles that contributed to most of the crashes were small motor cars (55 percent), followed by light delivery vehicles. (20 percent).
Minibus vehicles and trucks were involved in only seven percent and six percent of crashes, respectively.
“Over the festive season, our combined law enforcement officers conducted 1 632 roadblocks in which 1.8 million vehicles were stopped and checked,” Minister Creecy said.
“More than 450 000 traffic fines were issued, 525 [people] were arrested for excessive speeding.
“Roadblocks and vehicle inspections targeted roadworthiness, driver fitness, and licensing.”
At least 173 695 drivers were tested for driving under the influence of alcohol, and 8 561 of these tested positive, a 144 percent increase on the same period last year.
The highest alcohol reading was recorded in KwaZulu-Natal, where one motorist recorded breath alcohol content fourteen times above the legal alcohol limit.
The highest speedster was arrested in the Northern Cape, where he was clocked at 222 kilometres an hour in a 120-kilometre per hour zone.
“This year our officers also arrested 89 motorists for attempting to bribe traffic officers to avoid arrest,” stated the minister.
“We completed 2 547 physical education and awareness programmes across the country to influence driver, pedestrian and passenger behaviour, including visits to mass transit departure points, malls and other areas of mass convergence.”
The department also had a massive community awareness and education campaign on radio, television, and social media platforms.
This included an increased number of roadblocks, checks for vehicle roadworthiness, driver licenses, seatbelt and child-restraint use, as well as clamping down on speeding and drunken driving.
“A downward trajectory in road crashes and fatalities has also been observed in our annual statistics, where preliminary data shows that the number of road collisions and deaths for the 12-month period in 2025 is the lowest in five years,” said Minister Creecy.
A total of 11 418 fatalities were recorded from 9 674 crashes in 2025, compared to 12 581 fatalities from 10 633 crashes in 2021.
Furthermore, the 2025 crashes decreased by six-point four (6.4) percent when compared to 2024, and fatalities decreased by six-point two (6.2) percent in the same period.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank our traffic officers at national, provincial, and local government levels, the SA Police Service, and emergency services for the sterling work you have done throughout the year, which has resulted in this decrease in accidents,” the minister said.
