by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG – VOLVO urges young drivers to take the lead on road safety this Youth Day in South Africa.
The day is marked annually on June 16.
Young drivers face the highest risk on South African roads, with high fatality rates and low seatbelt use.
According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, some 60,2 percent of all driver fatalities in the fourth quarter of 2023/2024 were in the 25-to-44 age group, up from 57,7 percent the year before.
More young adults die on the roads as drivers than any other age group. This trend highlights the high stakes for new and inexperienced drivers.
Last year, Volvo Car SA released findings showing how seatbelt use among young drivers drops significantly closer to home, often influenced by peer pressure or a misplaced sense of safety in familiar areas.
The same research revealed that more than half of 18-24-year-olds sometimes or never wear a seatbelt at all.
During the same period, 46,8 percent of all passenger fatalities were also in the 25 to 44 age group, up from 45,8 percent the year before. More than half of all passenger fatalities during this period were youth.
– CAJ News
