Budget Insurance data shows that Cape Town, in the Western Cape, has the worst drivers of any metropolitan area in South Africa.
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According to data from the Road Traffic Management Corporation, there were 12 436 fatalities in 2022/23, and 1 427 people died on the roads between December 1 and January 11, 2023/2024, for an average of 32 motorists killed per day.
Presenting these statistics in January 2024, transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga also noted that traffic volumes had increased, with approximately 13.1 million registered vehicles on South African roads at the start of the recent festive season campaign, a 168 000 increase from the previous year.
According to provincial data, the top five provinces accounted for more than 70% of fatalities last year:
- Gauteng (19%);
- Eastern Cape (16%);
- Kwa-Zulu Natal (16%);
- Limpopo (12%); and
- Western Cape (10%).
Although Gauteng has the highest death rate, this is to be expected given that it is South Africa’s most populous and urbanised province.
However, when we look at Budget Insurance’s vehicle accident claims data, the picture changes.
The insurer did not reveal the exact figures, but it did say that from 2021 to 2023, drivers in Cape Town had the most car accidents of any city in the country.
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During this time, the number of claims submitted to Budget increased by 36%.
Following the coastal city were Pretoria and Johannesburg, both of which are in Gauteng.
According to the insurer, the safest drivers in South Africa are in East London, Eastern Cape, followed by Centurion, Gauteng, and Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
Budget Insurance has compiled a table ranking cities based on the number of car accidents and the change in accident claims from 2021 to 2023.
The provinces with the most car accidents in the last two years were Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
Between 2021 and 2023, claims in these provinces increased by 21%, 22%, and 7%, respectively.
Meanwhile, the three regions with the safest drivers were the Northern Cape (12% increase), the Free State (10%), and Limpopo (5%).
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