Over 900 killed on SA's roads this December

Over 900 people have died on South African roads since the beginning of December, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RMTC) said on Tuesday.

“The figures are going over the 900 mark and we are extremely concerned about head-on crashes. Out of the 16 major fatal crashes we have had since December 1, 13 of them were head-on.

These are the most devastating because the chances of survival are so low,” said RTMC spokesperson Ashref Ismail.

On Monday, a head-on collision between a taxi and car in the Free State claimed the lives of 19 people.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele called on traffic officers to confiscate the driver’s license of those arrested for road traffic violations.

“Drivers arrested for any offence must have their driving licenses seized as well as suspended and/or cancelled,” he said in a statement.

Ndebele said that his department, along with the justice and police ministries, would be “more aggressive” when dealing with irresponsible drivers.

Ismail said a full set of preliminary figures on road deaths would be issued on Wednesday.

A total of 1 149 people were killed on South Africa’s roads between December 1 and December 28 in 2010 and 1 304 deaths were recorded for the same period in 2009.—Sapa