Preliminary statistics show that over 1 700 people died on the country’s roads over the festive season.
Releasing the figures on Tuesday, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said from 1 December 2015 to 11 January 2016, 1 755 people lost their lives compared to 1 535 over the same period the previous year. This represents an increase of 14%.
Minister Peters attributed the cause of deaths on the roads to human factors such as J-walking, excessive speeding, overtaking in the face of oncoming traffic, hit and run as well as driving under the influence of alcohol.
