As the festive season commences in South Africa, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has launched the 365-day Arrive Alive Road Safety Campaign, urging citizens to take personal responsibility for road safety.
The campaign aims to reduce crashes and fatalities on the country’s roads during the peak travel season.
Emphasising this year’s theme, ‘It Starts With Me’, Creecy highlighted the critical role that individual behaviour plays in preventing road accidents.
‘Each and every one of us has an important role to play in reducing road accidents and road fatalities,’ she stated. ‘When we make the right choices, we arrive alive.’
With millions set to travel across the country for holidays, family gatherings, and celebrations, the festive period requires heightened vigilance.
Creecy underscored the importance of making responsible choices on the road, noting, ‘Our festive season campaign is aimed at ensuring that each and every one of us will make the correct choices on the roads so that we can go home for our family reunions.’
She added that safe travels should not just be an aspiration but a reality as families reconnect and celebrate during the holiday season.
The campaign aligns with South Africa’s commitment to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030), which aims to halve global road deaths by 2030. Notably, this year marks a significant milestone – with a reduction of 700 fatalities on the roads compared to the past five years.
However, she cautioned that the current statistics remain troubling, with over 9,400 fatalities recorded in 2023 alone. ‘We all agree that the accident rate is much, much too high, and there is still a lot more work that we have to do,’ she said.
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The campaign will leverage evidence gathered throughout the year, highlighting that human error accounts for nine out of ten accidents.
Creecy pointed out that the provinces of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Limpopo collectively contribute to the majority of fatal crashes, with pedestrians making up more than half of those listed as victims.
To combat this, the campaign will focus on a multifaceted approach that includes:
- Behaviour change initiatives
- Enhanced law enforcement
- 24-hour patrols in high-risk areas
- Public education and awareness campaigns
She also stated, ‘Research shows weekends, late-night travel, and fatigue periods are high risk. We will increase roadblocks, checks on vehicle roadworthiness and driver licenses, seatbelt and child-restraint use, and clamp down on speeding and drunken driving,’ as quoted on SA Gov News.
The campaign will also scrutinise public passenger transport, including minibus taxis, with collaborations involving SANTACO and the NTA to ensure driver fitness and vehicle compliance.
Creecy stressed that enforcement alone would not suffice to reduce fatalities; public education and community involvement are equally crucial.
With a strategised outreach, provinces have already submitted 537 road safety education and awareness activities targeting areas such as taxi ranks, bus stations, malls, churches, toll gates, rest stops, and sporting events during the festive season.
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Picture: Gallo Images/Theo Jeptha
