JUST IN: 8 Eastern Cape car accident deaths VS 68 in 2019

Eight people have been killed on Eastern Cape roads so far this month which include the normally bloody Easter weekend — a sharp contrast to the 68 that perished in car accidents in 2019.

Between April 1 and April 13 in 2019 there were 55 car accidents that killed 68 people with 37 of those being pedestrians, 21 being passengers and 10 drivers.

This year, four drivers, two passengers and two pedestrians were killed during the same period.

Authorities have attributed this to the national lockdown and heavy presence by law enforcement agencies on roads. Transport MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe said the “total ban on alcohol sales” also contributed to the sharp decrease of fatal road accidents.

“Given the fact that there’s a national lockdown currently underway which call on the public to stay indoors, which dictates that there should be less cars on the road and very minimal long distance driving, except for funerals, we are rather a bit disappointed as many as eight people lost their lives on our roads.

“But we are mindful of the fact that things could have been worse if it wasn’t for this unfortunate Covid-19 related lockdown. The total ban on the sale of alcohol has also played a massive role in this marked difference in the number of fatalities from last year as the contribution of alcohol consumption in many road accidents across the country and the province is well documented,” she said.