Age to obtain license is 18 now dropped to 16 for learners license in recent years which I personally think is crazy.
Obtained my license aged 22 with excellent train service not a necessity to have a car back in 1977. Roads were quiet in comparison, no road rage evident, speeding in suburbs or cities not excessive, open roads most put their foot down to cover distance not over exceeding speed limit too much by what I remember. Currently the roads are mayhem, dance with the devil is easier than driving!
According to the Road Traffic Management Corp (RTMC), 12,545 people died in road accidents in South Africa last year. That was 25.8% more than 2020 and 0.3% more than 2019, though both comparisons should be taken with a pinch of salt, given the different lockdown levels in 2020 and 2021.
About 40% of those who died last year were pedestrians. That’s almost twice the 23% international rate of pedestrian deaths, as calculated by the World Health Organisation. Of South Africa’s dead, about 75% were men, 38% were people aged 25-35 and a dreadful 17% were children aged four or younger. Business Live
Have been in an accident many years ago when vehicle was a write-off (slight injuries), another when the car spun out without any injuries thanks to quiet roads. To date touch wood, I have never as a driver been involved in an accident, hope to keep it that way!
Yep, roads are bonkers here and in loads of other places as well, plenty of reasons why too.
I'm not surprised about your road death statistics and I think there's probably countries that are even worse. I'm not sure how it works out per capita but I know that a lot of it is avoidable.
Too many trucks and taxi's on our roads, had railways remained it might have been a totally different story here. Powers that have been for past 30 years, no logical nor strategic thinking except a quick buck to enrich themselves.