January Road Deaths To Reach Record Low As We Head Towards #PayDayBlues Weekend

Statement by Donald Grant, Minister of Transport and Public Works

This January, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Provincial, City and municipal traffic services, and the innovations of the Safely Home campaign, the Western Cape has been experiencing record low numbers of road traffic fatalities. It is probable that the province will experience its lowest monthly fatality rate for January, as the festive season draws to a close, since the beginning of the Safely Home campaign in 2009.

Comparative January Road Deaths Statistics:

• January 2009:            147
• January 2010:            117
• January 2011:            109
• January 2012:            104
• January 2013:            80
• January 2014:            91
• January 2015:            69 (as of 29 January)

However, the first Pay Day Weekend of the new year is approaching at the end of this week. Last year, Western Cape road traffic fatalities indicated that month-end Pay Day Weekends are the most dangerous time of the month. On average, 18 people were killed on month-end Pay Day Weekends in 2014, compared to an average of 13.75 people on normal weekends.

On ordinary week days, an average of 2.47 people were killed per day in 2014. This means that road users are 240% more likely to become a fatality on Pay Day Weekends compared to on a regular day. Pay Day Weekend fatalities have become known as #PayDayBlues, due to “code blue” being Emergency Medical Services voice procedure for a fatality.

These dramatic increases in fatality rates can be ascribed to the greater mobility and access to alcohol that Pay Day Weekends bring.

The Province urges all road users, whether driving, walking or cycling to avoid mixing alcohol and the road.

For more information on Pay Day Weekends and the anti-drinking and driving campaign that we are currently running, visit the Safely Home website, Twitter: @WCGovSafelyHome hashtag #PayDayBlues and #BoozeFreeRoads.

The latest videos for the campaign are available online:

Afrikaans: http://youtu.be/VMFt5-5X_CI

English: http://youtu.be/s3G9MEQJ3Co