Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy says government is pursuing legislative amendments to move towards a strict zero percent blood alcohol policy as part of efforts to improve road safety.
The legislative amendments will be made to Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act.
“We are in the process of acquiring approval from the Chief State Law Advisor and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS) approval to secure cabinet concurrence for this amendment by the end of 2026,” the Minister said on Wednesday at the Road Safety Practitioners’ Colloquium in Ekurhuleni.
According to Creecy, more than 18 000 people were arrested for drunken driving between March and the end of August this year alone, accounting for a third of all traffic arrests during the period.
Road fatalities
The Minister said South Africa cannot normalise the close to 12 000 deaths recorded on the country’s roads annually.
“This is why we have set ourselves the target of halving our number of annual road fatalities by 2030, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“We have recorded significant milestones over the past two years. Over six percent less annual crashes and fatalities were recorded in 2025 compared to 2024,” Creecy said.
Data from the 2025/26 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign indicated a five percent reduction in both road fatalities and crashes, while five provinces recorded a reduction in fatalities compared to the same period in the previous year.
“During the 2026 Easter long weekend, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) recorded the second-lowest crashes and fatalities over the past 4-year Easter periods.
“When compared to the peak in 2024, crashes declined by 24% and fatalities by 39%. While these statistics are commendable, the numbers remain too high, and every life lost represents the loss of a loved one, a parent, and a breadwinner. We therefore need to ramp up and intensify our existing efforts to continue seeing a reduction in these figures,” the Minister said.
A snapshot of road crashes for the first eight months of 2026 shows the following:
- A total of 6 457 people died on the country’s roads from 1 January to 23 August, representing a 9% overall reduction in fatalities compared to 2025.
- Pedestrians accounted for 48 percent of all fatalities.
- Over a third of all fatalities occurred in the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
- The Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and North West met or exceeded the 10% target for reducing fatalities in their respective provinces.
The Minister said the progress witnessed in reducing fatalities and crashes across the country is not accidental.
“It is the direct result of coordinated law enforcement, strategic partnerships with civil society, and a shift in the collective consciousness of our road users. However, we cannot rest on these laurels.
“To address the high number of pedestrian deaths, this year we have had a targeted focus on preventing people from crossing and walking on highways. Traffic policing authorities have also intensified patrols of areas of entertainment near highways to prevent inebriated pedestrians from running across major roads and encouraging them to use designated road crossings,” Creecy said.
She said visibility and public education are key to the success of these measures.
“Our visibility in and around pedestrian accident-prone areas, assisted by the communities and support from the South African Police Service (SAPS), will ensure that we keep the momentum of reducing road accidents and set us on our trajectory of achieving the road safety decade action target set for our country,” Creecy said.
Creecy added that a whole-of-society approach has been essential in spreading the road safety message through public communication campaigns.
“We have been able to record successes and lower accident rates through mobilising communities through engagements with civil society, traditional leaders, and faith-based organisations.
“Such collaboration between the RTMC and provinces has led to over 14 000 road safety education and awareness interventions being conducted this year.
“The Department and the RTMC have also conducted a coordinated media campaign throughout the year with over 50 media outlets, focussing on weather advisories, traffic advisories, and roadworthiness and vehicle compliance inspections,” Creecy said. - SAnews.gov.za
