Share

This is the city with the worst drivers in all of South Africa

accreditation
  • Discovery Vitality found that Durban is the city with the worst drivers in South Africa.
  • Cape Town had the safest drivers, followed by Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein.
  • South African has a road death toll of 22.5 per 100,000 people. 

Durban drivers are most likely to accelerate quickly, brake harshly, and take sharp turns in South Africa, a new report says.

South African roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with a road death toll of 22.5 per 100,000 people. 

The Road to a Healthier South Africa report, based on data from Discovery’s insurance scheme, found that Durban drivers are the country’s worst, followed by Pretoria and Johannesburg. 

See also: This is officially South Africa’s laziest city

Cape Town is not only the country’s healthiest city, but also has the safest drivers, the report found. 

(Supplied, Discovery Vitality)

Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein were the second and third best-driving cities respectively. 

READ: You are now paying 12% of every litre of petrol to the insolvent Road Accident Fund - its share has almost doubled in a decade

Capetonians are less likely to use their phone while driving, but after Bloemfontein are most likely to drive at night, Discovery says.

Meanwhile, drivers in Johannesburg are least likely to drive at night, when roads are considered dangerous. 

(Supplied, Discovery Vitality)

The report also found that women aged 66+ are the country’s best drivers, while men between the age of 18 and 25 are the worst. 

Prof Sebastian van As, trauma unit head at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, said driving behaviour is the one place drivers can protect themselves on the road. 

“I could cite many such stats, however, they all boil down to this chilling fact: almost 90% of accidents are caused by bad driving – simple,” Van As writes in the report. 

Receive a single WhatsApp every morning with all our latest news: click here.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
40% - 228 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
60% - 340 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.5%
Rand - Pound
24.02
-0.5%
Rand - Euro
20.51
-0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.35
-0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.6%
Platinum
900.15
+0.4%
Palladium
1,000.00
-0.2%
Gold
2,210.45
+0.7%
Silver
24.60
-0.2%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,142
+0.7%
All Share
74,329
+0.6%
Resource 10
56,957
+2.3%
Industrial 25
103,635
+0.4%
Financial 15
16,485
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE