As we observe World Pedestrian Day today, I urge everyone to play a role in improving road safety for all road users and, today, specifically for pedestrians. The statistics on pedestrian fatalities are staggering and of major concern.

Today we join efforts to spread awareness on road safety for pedestrians across the world, as we want and need a much safer traffic space for pedestrians to move around in our city and towns in the Western Cape.

Week on week, we continue to record a high number of pedestrians that are killed on our roads. This is seriously concerning and we all need to do more to bring these numbers down.

Although the traffic fatality rate in the Western Cape decreased to 46% during the Decade of Action (since 2010), pedestrian deaths are nearly 50% of all traffic deaths in the province.

In 2021,1357 people died on the Western Cape roads, 554 were aged 19 to 35, and 697 were pedestrians. The estimated cost of these deaths to the economy is over R10 billion.

I urge everyone to play a role in improving road safety. If every road user takes personal responsibility and holds himself or herself responsible for their actions and decisions on our roads, we can bring down these numbers significantly. For example, our Safely Home campaign encourages motorists to be vigilant on the road, and pedestrians to make themselves visible to motorists, especially at night and in the early morning.

The Western Cape Government will continue with its efforts to equip the youth so that they educate their peer groups, and assist in bringing about the behavior change needed to reduce fatalities and injuries on our roads.

In July, the Directorate: Road Safety Management brought together a range of stakeholders from across the province for a Road Safety Youth Dialogue and demonstrated how safety can also be fun. In several developing communities, many people are pedestrians and/or use public transport. This significantly increases pedestrians’ exposure to traffic hazards and, concomitantly,  the need to educate pedestrians about road safety. For this reason, the purpose of the dialogue was to present young people with credible information on road safety issues in the Western Cape and to encourage them to make responsible choices.

Our main drive for this kind of intervention is the ongoing road accident statistics which show young pedestrians as the most critical road user group involved within the province. It is therefore important that we, as government, create such platforms where young people can come together and learn.

We will continue our efforts to educate each and every citizen on the impact of crashes, the human cost and cost to the economy, as well as share key insights around communication and pedestrian fatalities.

The Western Cape Government is committed to ensuring that all citizens commute safely, whether walking, cycling, using public transport or driving.

Steps to be taken to be a Safer Pedestrian:

§  Wear bright coloured clothing and reflective materials.

§  Cross in a well-lit area at night.

§  Stand clear of buses or parked cars before crossing the road so drivers can see you.

§  Always walk on the sidewalk; if there is no sidewalk, walk facing oncoming traffic.

§  Do not drink and cross the road.

§  Do not cross where a road bends or leads to a sharp curve.

§  Do not rely on pedestrian signals; look for oncoming traffic before crossing.

§  Be aware of other road users, especially at intersections.

§  Do not wear headphones or talk on your cell phone whilst crossing the road.

§  Cross at pedestrian crossings.

§  Always obey traffic signals.

§  Wait for buses or heavy motor vehicles to pass before crossing the road.

Media Queries:           

Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka

Spokesperson for Minister Daylin Mitchell

Cell: 082 953 0026

Email: Ntomboxolo.Makoba-Somdaka@westerncape.gov.za