Negligent Driving as a Causative Factor Towards Road Traffic Accidents in South Africa

Abstract

Every year the lives of approximately 1.3 million people are cut short because of a road traffic crash and this is according to World Health Organisation in 2022, between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many incurring a disability as a result of their injuries. Negligent driving is a global problem even in South Africa. The inability of motorists to adhere to the rules of the road is a major problem in South Africa and more should be done to counteract this problem as road users are losing their lives on the road due to negligent driving. This article focuses on negligent driving as a causative factor towards road traffic accidents in South Africa. This qualitative article adopts a systematic review under the non-empirical research design. This study is completely based on the secondary data. A systematic review was done in detail for the collected literature. The key findings indicated that motorists do not adhere to the rules of the road, speeding and driving while intoxicated have major consequences on road. The findings further indicated that corruption within law enforcement agencies compromise road safety. Based on the findings, the authors provided, possible recommendations such as strengthening road safety campaigns nationwide, increase visibility of law enforcement officials on the road and capacitate law enforcement agencies with resources to counteract corruption and contribute to road safety.