/ 6 April 1999

Easter road toll tops 184

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pretoria | Tuesday 11.30am

THE Easter weekend road death toll had reached 184 in 106 motor accidents by Monday night, the Arrive Alive campaign said on Tuesday.

The Arrive Alive figures, which will be finalised on Wednesday, show that the dead comprised 101 passengers, 49 pedestrians and 34 drivers. The highest toll was recorded in the QWestern Cape, with 48 fatalities, followed by Northern Province,35; Northern Cape, 26; KwaZulu-Natal, 24; Gauteng, 14; Eastern Cape, 13; Mpumalanga, 10; Free State, eight; and six in North-West.

This year’s total compares well with last Easter, when 237 people were killed in 169 accidents between April 9 and 13.

Once again, Arrive Alive ascribed many of the accidents to speeding. The campaign noted that most fatalities were the result of vehicles overturning, followed by accidents involving pedestrians, and head-on collisions.