Justice Project questions release of road death statistics
On 30 December 2014, the Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters announced that 1143 road deaths had resulted from 924 fatal crashes up to 28 December 2014. Today, in an email entitled “END OF FESTIVE SEASON FINAL STATEMENT” it has been announced by the Department of Transport that “In the period, 01 December 2014 to 30 December 2014, we have registered 924 fatal crashes with 1143 fatalities whilst last year during the same period under review we registered 974 fatal crashes with 1168 fatalities. This demonstrates a reduction of 50 fatal crashes and 25 fatalities.”
Firstly, it is a physical impossibility that no fatal crashes, resulting in no fatalities occurred on the 29th and 30th of December 2014, no matter how anyone wishes that it could be true. Secondly, the road death statistics for the 2013/14 festive season up to 30 December 2013 were NOT “974 fatal crashes with 1168 fatalities” they were 987 fatal crashes with 1184 fatalities.
Thirdly, while the festive season itself may be over, the period used for monitoring road death statistics is far from over. The 2012/13 festive season road death monitoring period ran from 1 December 2012 to 10 January 2013. In the 2013/14 festive season, this monitoring period was shortened by three days – running from 1 December 2013 to 7 January 2014.
This year, it would appear that the Department of Transport is seeking to shave a further full week off the monitoring period to make the situation appear to be significantly better than it really is.
Justice Project South Africa is very concerned about the blatant manipulation of information that is coming out of the Department of Transport and which is resulting in misinformation and outright lies being spread by the very Department that accuses others of spreading misinformation.
It is remarkable and of grave concern that the Department of Transport cannot remember what it has said in its own media statements and a speech delivered by the Minister of Transport 6 days ago and then expects people to believe the misinformation that they release into the wild.
Best Regards,
Howard Dembovsky
National Chairman – Justice Project South Africa (NPC)
