The government is moving to enforce a complete ban on drinking and driving on South African roads.
This was revealed by Transport Minister Barbara Greecey during a media briefing in Pretoria, where she provided an update on road fatalities recorded over the festive season.
The minister said preliminary figures show a five percent reduction in both road accidents and fatalities compared to 2024. A total of 1,427 people died in 1,172 crashes during the period. While welcoming the decline as a step in the right direction, Greecey stressed that government remains deeply concerned, noting that most — if not all — of the accidents could have been prevented.
“Evidence has shown over and over again that the biggest cause of road accidents is alcohol consumption. It’s time to be honest and question what kind of law allows people to drink and then drive. We need to amend the law to ensure there is no drinking and driving at all,” she said.
Greecey also credited festive season road safety campaigns with contributing to the reduction in fatalities. However, she noted that many accidents occurred in localised areas where people had been drinking and socialising, highlighting the dangers of alcohol consumption behind the wheel.
“Most of the accidents and deaths recorded did not occur on our national roads but on smaller roads. This indicates that most victims were not long-distance travellers, but rather revellers who were drinking and partying in their communities,” she said.
The minister added that the majority of fatalities were recorded between 15 December and 1 January.