A total of 1 277 people have died in 1 104 traffic accidents since December 1, the Department of Transport said on Friday.
Department spokesperson Collen Msibi said that while this was a slight decrease compared to 1 372 deaths in the same period last year, the department and the Road Traffic Management Corporation were concerned about the increase of fatal crashes involving pedestrians.
To date, 516 pedestrians, 420 passengers and 341 drivers had died.
A total of 273 died in Gauteng, 270 in KwaZulu-Natal, 117 in the Western Cape, 144 in the Eastern Cape, 123 in Mpumalanga, 107 in the Free State, 107 in the North West, 91 in Limpopo and 45 in the Northern Cape.
Msibi said this week that causes of the accidents included jay-walking, driver fatigue, speeding, alcohol consumption, tyre bursts, faulty brakes, and overloading. – Sapa