ah@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n<\/u>28 March 2025 | 14:00 CAT
\n2 min read<\/p>\nFor the second year in a row, South Africa has been ranked as the most dangerous country in the world to drive in. The latest report, compiled by international road safety group Zutobi, used data from the Global Health Observatory to assess road fatalities, and South Africa once again topped the list.<\/p>\n
While many South Africans may not be surprised by the ranking, the implications remain serious, especially with the upcoming Easter holiday season, a period notorious for road accidents.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Radio Islam International, Advocate Johan Jonck, a board member of the Road Safety Partnership, explained the dire state of the country\u2019s roads.<\/p>\n
According to Jonck, the overwhelming majority of road accidents in South Africa can be traced back to human error. \u201cIf we look at the data from the Road Traffic Management Corporation, about 85% of road deaths in South Africa can be attributed to human error, you know, human behavior. About 10% would be road and vehicle factors and about 5% to 7% environmental factors. But still, human error, human behaviour remains the biggest problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Among the most concerning issues, Jonck noted, are reckless overtaking, head-on collisions, and sheer lawlessness on the roads. \u201cIf I look at, for instance, another report, not only on road data but on crime statistics, it kind of makes sense for me. You know, in none of these countries where we have got a lot safer roads do we find that we have so many arrests made during the week for various offenses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Alcohol a Major Contributor<\/strong><\/p>\nOne of the leading factors in South Africa\u2019s high road fatality rate is alcohol consumption. Despite numerous public awareness campaigns and law enforcement crackdowns, many drivers continue to drink and drive.<\/p>\n
Jonck stressed that this issue doesn\u2019t just affect drivers but also pedestrians. \u201cEvery year, every Easter, every end-of-year festive season, about forty percent of road deaths are pedestrians, which is a massive number. And a lot of these pedestrians are also intoxicated. So alcohol plays a big part, not only amongst the drivers but also amongst the pedestrians,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The culture of impunity when it comes to drinking and driving remains a significant obstacle to road safety. \u201cPeople drink excessively, and they still go onto the road. And they think that if they get pulled over, they can get away with a bribe. So we also have to look at stuff like, for instance, your, you know, your corruption. People don\u2019t think that there\u2019s a big consequence for their actions,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The Zutobi survey analysed data from 53 countries, including developed and developing nations. South Africa ranked worse than Thailand, the United States, Argentina, and India\u2014countries that share some of its socio-economic challenges.<\/p>\n
Jonck acknowledged that the survey had limitations, particularly in that it did not include many African countries. However, he emphasised that South Africa\u2019s road safety crisis is undeniable. \u201cWhatever the stats may say, if we look at, for instance, the seat belt wearing that is always also referred to, there are things that we can do. We can definitely reduce road deaths. If we focus on seat belt wearing, if we focus on pedestrian safety, and if we focus on effective enforcement, we can drastically reduce our road deaths,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Need for a Cultural Shift in Road Safety<\/strong><\/p>\nWhile government campaigns and law enforcement are crucial in addressing road safety, Jonck believes real change will only happen when a culture of responsibility takes root in South African society.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoad safety is not a light switch. It doesn\u2019t help for a minister to say ahead of a festive season or a long weekend, \u2018Right, now we\u2019re going to focus on road safety.\u2019 It needs to be a 24\/7 thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He emphasised the importance of starting with children and instilling safe road habits from an early age. He also pointed out that simple habits like ensuring all passengers are buckled up could save lives. \u201cIf you are in a car, if you are with a driver, you can ensure that all your passengers are buckled in. Not in order to avoid a possible traffic fine, but to ensure that they are safe if something happens,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
With the Easter holiday season approaching, Jonck urged South Africans to be more mindful on the roads. \u201cIf you know that there are so many road deaths, then you actually need to ensure that you are prepared for emergencies, that you drive slower, that you give yourself the time and the space to react in an emergency situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As South Africa once again finds itself at the bottom of global road safety rankings, the need for urgent action, both from the government and everyday road users, has never been clearer.<\/p>\n
LISTEN<\/strong> to the full interview with Ml Junaid Kharsany and Advocate Johan Jonck, a Board member of the Road Safety Partnership, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za 28 March 2025 | 14:00 CAT 2 min read For the second year in a row, South Africa has been ranked as the most dangerous country in the world to drive in. The latest report, compiled by international road safety group Zutobi, used data from the Global Health Observatory to assess […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":96601,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-11.jpg?fit=1024%2C670&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-p84","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-16 11:22:29","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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