JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Department of Transport said Wednesday that a total of 1,427 people were killed in road crashes across the country during the 2023-2024 festive season.

       The figure was lower than the previous festive season when 1,452 people were killed in road crashes, said Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga at a media briefing.

       "Human factors contributed 80.8 percent of the crashes, while environmental factors contributed 10.4 percent as a result of heavy rainfall and storms that had a big impact on road use, and this is whereas vehicle factors contributed 8.8 percent," said Chikunga.

       South Africa recorded 1,184 fatal crashes during the festive period from Dec. 1, 2023 to Jan. 11 this year, a decrease of 2.3 percent compared to the previous festive season, the minister said.

       Chikunga noted that drunk driving remains the main cause behind road accidents in the country, followed by reckless and negligent behavior on the road, adding that most of the people who lost their lives were between the ages of 25 and 44.