Minister of Transport Joe Maswanganyi says the road death toll over the 2017/2018 festive season decreased by 11% from the previous year.

The death toll from 1 December 2017 to 9 January, 2018 was 1527, down from 1714 fatalities in the same festive period last year.

Seven provinces saw a decline with the exception of the Western Cape which increased by 7% and the North West Province which increased by 11%.

While the department surpassed its target of a 10% reduction in road fatalities over the festive season the minister says they are still concerned with the number of deaths, particularly those of pedestrians.

According to Maswanganyi the highest number of fatalities was among pedestrians which increased from 34% to 37%. Fatalities among drivers also increased from 23% to 27%. There was however a decline in passenger fatalities from 41% to 35%. Maswanganyi attributes this to the increased use of safety belts.