The Walk Of Death

More and more pedestrians are losing their lives in road fatalities

- Palesa Matjebele

THE year 2016 recorded the highest road fatalities since 2007, with over 14 000 people dying on the roads in the beginning of December. Almost 40 percent of these fatalities were due to illegal or reckless crossing of the road by pedestrians. The recent long weekend saw road fatality statistics increasing by 14 percent.

A WORRYING PICTURE

The Gauteng province recorded 51 fatalities, which claimed 22 lives of pedestrians. Ofentse Morwane, spokesperson of the Gauteng Department of Community Safety, blames the recent statistics on unruly behaviour.

“This is attributed to substance abuse, the use of cellphones while walking, jaywalking and crossing freeways,” he says.