Lower road death toll over Easter long weekend this year
The Western Cape Provincial Government has expressed encouragement over the slight decline in road-related fatalities during this year's Easter long weekend.
However, road users are urged to continue to make responsible choices, especially with another long weekend approaching.
Between 17 and 21 April 2025, a total of 22 fatal crashes were recorded in the province, resulting in 22 lives lost.
This marks a decline when compared to the 26 road-related fatalities reported over the 2024 Easter period.
According to the provincial government, the province recorded 22 fatalities, with 14 occurring on municipal roads and eight on provincial routes, with most of these incidents taking place within the Cape Metro area.
The fatalities included 14 pedestrians, five passengers, two drivers, and one motorcyclist.
On Sunday, Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, said early indications showed a significant decrease in fatalities and crashes in all provinces, except Mpumalanga.
She believes that the public has responded positively to the 2025 Easter Season Road Safety Arrive Alive campaign.
Since 20 March 2025, Creecy said officials stopped 782 000 vehicles and issued 116 000 fines.
A total of 3 500 drivers were arrested for various offences, and 89 pedestrians were arrested for walking on highways.
In addition, 2 200 unroadworthy vehicles were prevented from continuing their journey.
Meanwhile, the Western Cape Mobility Department said it had conducted 784 integrated operations across the province during the period, including roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints and speed control operations.
In the province, over 30 000 vehicles were stopped and checked, resulting in more than 19 000 fines for various offences, including 8 714 speeding violations.
From 07:00 on Friday last week until Tuesday morning, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) recorded a total of 7 988 incidents.
The most frequent types of calls included non-cardiac related pain, with 1 505 incidents, followed by respiratory complaints at 1 049, and assault-related injuries at 597.
Transport-related emergencies included 85 pedestrian-vehicle accidents, 104 motor vehicle accidents and five incidents involving cyclists.
The province's hospitals also managed high volumes at its emergency centres.
According to the Hospital Emergency Centre Trauma Information System (HECTIS), 16 395 patient episodes were recorded over Good Friday to Tuesday this week. This includes 3 624 trauma-related cases, while 12 476 were non-trauma incidents.
The province also responded to several fatalities over the Easter weekend. These include 23 fatal shootings, six confirmed suicides and one drowning.
The Western Cape Health and Wellness MEC, Mireille Wenger, said the sustained demand for healthcare services highlighted the vital role healthcare workers play across the province.
'Each call and each hospital visit represents a person in crisis. We are deeply aware of the emotional and physical toll this takes, not only on our staff but also on affected families. Preventing trauma is a shared responsibility.'
Wenger urged residents to continue practising road safety, avoid abusing alcohol, and treat healthcare workers with respect.
'A safer province is only possible when we all do our part. Thank you to our EMS and hospital teams who worked throughout the long weekend, and for the care and commitment you continue to show our residents.'
The province expressed its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones who lost someone on the roads this weekend.
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