South African victims of road crashes – their families, and friends, were remembered on 21 November 2021 during three services for World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims.
This United Nation’s sanctioned day is observed annually on every third Sunday in November. The themes of the 2021 World Day of Remembrance are REMEMBER, SUPPORT, ACT– i.e. to remember all people killed and seriously injured on the roads; to acknowledge and support the crucial work of the emergency services; to act by promoting evidence-based actions to prevent and eventually stop further road traffic deaths and injuries.
The services were held by various denominations, in conjunction with the NGOs South Africans Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and ChildSafe SA, as well as Road Safety Management (RSM) of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works.
Services took place at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, at an interfaith Service at the Breakthru Restoration Church in Wellington, and pre-recorded service broadcast to Cape Winelands listeners of Valley FM, a community radio station in the Worcester.
At least 1163 road users died in the province from 1 January 2021 until 17 November 2021. Of these, 617 were pedestrians, 248 were passengers, 221 were drivers, 49 motorcyclists, and 13 cyclists. Four died when they fell of vehicles, one was hit by a train, one was a motorcycle-passengers, and nine died in other road crash related incidents.
Nokuzola Letselebe, an RSM representative, speaking at St George’s cathedral, said pedestrian deaths were the highest in the Cape Metropolitan area. She said 680 people died in the metropolitan area from 1 January 2021 to 17 November 2021.
Caro Smit of SADD said drink driving is not seen as the violent and preventable crime that it is, it is the cause of about 58% of the deaths on our roads, and that SADD would continue to be proactive to stop alcohol being made more easily available at places like petrol stations, and to support victims of drink driving.
Mrs. Smit said it was clear restrictions on alcohol sale, like that during Covid-19, saw a decline in the amount of trauma incidents and that more needs to be done to promote the rights of all road users and bring down alcohol abuse, crash, and specifically drink driving rates.
Thilda Nel, the Executive Director of ChildSafe, based at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Memorial Hospital in Cape Town, said road crashes in SA were the second leading cause of death for children aged 5-14 years. Mrs Nel said statistics showed child pedestrians and child passengers were particularly vulnerable, making up 62% and 36% of child road fatalities respectively.
Mrs Nel said ChildSafe was calling for a reduction in the speed limit in urban areas, from 60 km/to 30 km/h, especially outside schools. She said they were also calling for stricter enforcement of legislation that makes child car restraints and seats compulsory.
Media Release: World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
Issued by South Africans Against Drunk Driving (SADD) 21 November 2021
