The Road Traffic Management (RTMC) of South Africa has published the list of vehicles with the highest contribution to fatal crashes in South Africa between October 2017 and June 2021.
This was accompanied by the number of speed infringements these vehicles committed on the Aarto system between January 2019 and June 2021.
The 20 cars account for 4,668,098 (40.4%) of the 11,546,383 vehicles on the country’s roads, according to the RTMC.
Out of the 32,333 fatal crashes during the period under review, the cars were responsible for 15,952 (49.3%) of them; and out of the 12,140,309 million speed infringements, they were responsible for 5,071,360 (41.9%).
Fatal accidents
The top 20 vehicles that were involved in the most fatal accidents between 1 October 2017 and 30 June 2021 are not completely surprising, as many of them are found on South Africa’s best-selling cars lists.
The VW Polo is found at the top of the fatal crashes list, with the Toyota Hilux following in second.
The Toyota Hilux has been the best-selling vehicle in the country for a long time, while the VW Polo has always been close by – usually in the top five.
Older vehicles that were equally as popular in their heyday can also still be found on the lists, such as the Isuzu KB Series – which turned into the D-Max in 2018 – as well as the Toyota Conquest which was discontinued a long while ago.
The top 20 vehicles that were involved in the most fatal accidents in South Africa between 1 October 2017 and 30 June 2021 are detailed below.
It must be noted that all variants of a particular vehicle – for example, the VW Polo, Polo Vivo, and Polo Sedan – are classified under one name.
| Model (% of total vehicle population) | # of fatal crashes | % of fatal crashes in top 20 |
|---|---|---|
| VW Polo (17%) | 2,668 | 16.7% |
| Toyota Hilux (12.7%) | 2,272 | 14.2% |
| Toyota Quantum (3.3%) | 1,954 | 12.2% |
| Toyota Corolla (11.2%) | 1,435 | 9.0% |
| Isuzu KB Series (5.7%) | 1,048 | 6.6% |
| VW Golf (6.8%) | 1,032 | 6.5% |
| Ford Ranger (6.5%) | 848 | 5.3% |
| BMW 3 Series (4.3%) | 524 | 3.3% |
| Toyota Hiace (1.5%) | 464 | 2.9% |
| Nissan NP200 (3.5%) | 425 | 2.7% |
| Toyota Avanza (1.4%) | 396 | 2.5% |
| Toyota Etios (2.4%) | 367 | 2.3% |
| Nissan Hardbody (2.4%) | 366 | 2.3% |
| Opel Corsa (5.2%) | 361 | 2.3% |
| Mercedes-Benz W2 Series (4.0%) | 319 | 2.0% |
| Toyota Yaris (3.0%) | 311 | 1.9% |
| Toyota Fortuner (2.9%) | 307 | 1.9% |
| Toyota Conquest (1.9%) | 301 | 1.9% |
| Nissan NP300 (1.5%) | 280 | 1.8% |
| Ford Fiesta (2.8%) | 274 | 1.7% |
Speed infringements
For speed infringements, the VW Polo once again sits in front, this time followed by the Toyota Corolla – another extremely popular Toyota model.
The BMW 3 Series is third when it comes to speeding, after being eighth in the fatal accidents category.
The Toyota Hilux places fourth, and the Ford Ranger completes the top-five vehicles that committed the most speed infringements in South Africa between 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2021.
Detailed below is the number of speed infringements attributed to the above cars, as recorded on the Aarto system in the period under review.
| Model (% of total vehicle population) | # of speed infringements | % of speed infringements in top 20 |
|---|---|---|
| VW Polo (17%) | 1,091,912 | 21.5% |
| Toyota Corolla (11.2%) | 522,583 | 10.3% |
| BMW 3 Series (4.3%) | 381,412 | 7.5% |
| Toyota Hilux (12.7%) | 372,843 | 7.4% |
| Ford Ranger (6.5%) | 377,737 | 7.4% |
| Toyota Quantum (3.3%) | 310,706 | 6.1% |
| Mercedes-Benz W2 Series (4.0%) | 298,578 | 5.9% |
| VW Golf (6.8%) | 267,277 | 5.3% |
| Nissan NP200 (3.5%) | 228,958 | 4.5% |
| Ford Fiesta (2.8%) | 196,061 | 3.9% |
| Toyota Etios (2.4%) | 179,113 | 3.5% |
| Toyota Fortuner (2.9%) | 174,206 | 3.4% |
| Toyota Yaris (3.0%) | 148,647 | 2.9% |
| Opel Corsa (5.2%) | 130,227 | 2.6% |
| Isuzu KB Series (5.7%) | 124,701 | 2.5% |
| Toyota Hiace (1.5%) | 91,906 | 1.8% |
| Nissan NP300 (1.5%) | 69,300 | 1.4% |
| Toyota Avanza (1.4%) | 44,767 | 0.9% |
| Nissan Hardbody (2.4%) | 37,644 | 0.7% |
| Toyota Conquest (1.9%) | 22,782 | 0.4% |
Source: topauto
In other news – Amanda Manku (Lizzy) from Skeem Saam details her horrific near-death experience
Skeem Saam actress and sportscaster Amanda Manku is one person who appreciates the gift of life, following her horrific near-death experience last year. Amanda plays the role of Dr Elizabeth “Lizzy” Thobagale on the popular SABC1 educational soapie.
Lizzy’s family was hit hard by a nasty bout of Covid-19. Although she ultimately survived the respiratory disease, the Skeem Saam actress was hit hard by Covid-19 and feared the worst. Learn More
