More than 1 400 died on SA roads during festive season

More than 1 400 people lost their lives on South Africa’s roads during the festive season, Transport Minister Ben Martins has said.

“According to the SA Police Service, it is estimated that approximately 1 465 people lost their lives,” he said.

Announcing the preliminary road death statistics in Durban today, the minister said 1 221 fatal accidents were recorded between December 1 and January 8.

Martins said about 40% of the deaths involved pedestrians, most of whom had walked onto roads while drunk.

- Sapa