FINAL EASTER ROAD DEATH TOLL

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Mr S’bu Ndebele has announced that the final audited figures released yesterday morning by the national Department of Transport shows a reduction in reported road deaths over the Easter long weekend as compared to previous years. 38 People were killed in 33 vehicle crashes in the province between Thursday, 28 March 2002 and Monday, 1 April 2002 as compared to 49 fatalities for the same period last year. 

Traffic volumes peaked at more than 2 000 vehicles per hour throughout Monday, especially on the N3 as most holidaymakers headed back home. These traffic volumes are amongst the highest when compared to other parts of the country and it is obvious that the greater the traffic volumes, the greater the risk of road crashes. Despite this increase in vehicle population, KwaZulu-Natal has succeeded in bringing the Easter road death toll down by 11% through a concerted enforcement and education road safety campaign. Our initial evaluation had reflected a higher percentage reduction but the final figures are as reflected above.

Law enforcement officials were out in full force over the Easter weekend and maintained a strong visible presence on all major routes in the province. The three roadside courts that were in operation at Cato Ridge, Umdloti and Park Rynie once again proved to be highly successful with more than three hundred motorists being charged at these courts, mainly for speeding.

Minister Ndebele welcomed the reduction in the number of road deaths and praised law enforcement officers for their dedication and hard work. "These results have shown that the campaign heightened public awareness of road safety and people all over this province have responded positively to the campaign. Our officials worked many hundreds of hours in overtime and dedicated all their available time to enforcement and education activities. Our high visibility, incessant roadblocks, continuous enforcement exercises, billboards and advertising campaign served as a deterrent to stop people violating the law on our roads," Mr Ndebele said. 

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