The festive season road fatality rate increased for the first time in three years by 5.3% - higher than both decreases from 2021/22 and 2023/24 combined. This is an additional 75 lives lost - or almost two full classrooms of people.

Eugene Herbert, the CEO of MasterDrive, says the number of people that died – 1 502 – cannot be fully comprehended as numbers on a page. “Instead, equate this to more than three Boeing 747 airplanes or four times the amount of people killed in the KwaZulu Natal floods.

“The 1 502 lives lost are more than just numbers. They are parents, children, siblings, friends, colleagues; human beings that leave a huge void behind.”

The transport minister Barbara Creecy says 87% of these crashes resulted from human factors. “Specific reference was made to jaywalking, fatigue, vehicle loss of control, speed, drunk driving and dangerous overtaking or reckless driving. Creecy said despite extensive attempts to change behaviour, drivers and pedestrians continue to act with little concern for life.”

If current methods are not seeing the desired results, it might be time to change the approach. “Most people know drinking and driving is illegal, high-risk, and often results in tragedy. Yet, during the 2024/25 festive season, 9 950 drivers were arrested for drinking and driving – this does not event account for those that escaped the arm of the law,” says Herbert.

A visual and highly emotive representation of the consequences of dangerous driving, may have a much more powerful effect.

An Australian PSA may shock South Africans into taking the high road fatalities seriously

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRF6UfFR3Jw

Drunk driving

If you drink and drive, think of what this can do to:

• Yourself - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s033MjVR7o
• Your loved ones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otR8V7rlnjA
• Your children - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MxkAKeDe6Q
• Innocent people - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNX0K5x2O2U

Reckless driving

The decision to overtake on a blind a corner or disobey a traffic signal can be catastrophic

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTz0xO7Erc4
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXiyFkJMAPI

Drowsy driving

Fatigued driving is just as dangerous as driving under the influence

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4mvtNU32kQ
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeVbQVuN-Dw

Speed

• Even slowing down by 10km/h can make all the difference - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9fms5He5bM
• The speed PSA banned from being aired while children were awake - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNL6t-Eu-IY
• If only we could pause time - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qNjt04bpQM

Not wearing seatbelts

Law enforcement officers issued 23 607 penalties to drivers who failed to wear seatbelts during the 2024/25 festive season

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKHY69AFstE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L62ueMB0E5E

If you remain impervious to the statistics, traffic offences, awareness campaigns or any of the many initiatives to change driver behaviour – perhaps seeing the result of this behaviour will.