As exciting as it is to head off on holiday, the period between December and January brings increased risk on South Africa’s roads. Discovery Insure’s newly released Drive Trends research provides insights into driving behaviour over the festive season, highlighting the dangers of speeding and the importance of planning your trips wisely.
The findings, which were released last week, show that fewer cars on the road might seem like a blessing, but they can also encourage dangerous habits, particularly speeding.
The Holiday Drive Trends report is an analysis of Discovery Insure Vitality Drive members’ driving behaviour data. It covers the year-end holidays (from 1 December to 31 January) from 2021 to 2023. This data was compared to driver behaviour data over the rest of the year – February to November, during the three years covered – with more than 12 000 trips analysed. Data was gathered from Vitality Drive members across all provinces but primarily concentrated on Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape.
According to the data, not only does speeding have a minimal impact on destination arrival time, but it also increases the likelihood of being in an accident.
“Our report reveals a 26% increase in speeding over the holiday period, which we define as driving at least 10 km/h over the speed limit, as drivers take advantage of open roads and less traffic,” said Robert Attwell, Discovery Insure’s chief executive.
“During the December-January period, people are understandably eager to get to their holiday destinations as soon as possible. However, compared to those who stick to the speed limit, we found that those who speed only saved two to four minutes per hour travelled, depending on traffic. We encourage drivers to rather enjoy the journey and take a relaxed, safe trip down to the coast to avoid risking you and your passengers’ safety.”
Best and worst times to leave
The analysis also shows that the most common road trip over the festive season is from Johannesburg to Durban, and more than half of these trips take place between 15 and 24 December.
“Our data shows that the trip from Johannesburg to Durban takes around six hours and 30 minutes, including one rest stop, which takes an average of 37 minutes,” Attwell said. “Around 7% of drivers make the journey in one go, which gives only a marginal time saving.”
People who do not take a rest stop drive 36% more aggressively in the second half of their trip than those who take rest stops. “Rather take a break so you are rested and alert, minimising your risk of unfocused driving that could lead to an accident. Taking a half-hour break really doesn’t delay your trip much at all.”
According to the report, most people drive back to Joburg from Durban between 2 and 5 January. This trip takes about six hours and 21 minutes, including an average rest stop of 34 minutes. Most people return from Durban on 2 January, making it the busiest day on the roads to drive back to Johannesburg.
“If possible, delay your return trip by a few days. As we get closer to 7 January, our data shows there are half as many cars on the road as on 2 January. And, in the week after 7 January, there are historically only 10% as many cars as on the day after New Year’s Day. If you can work remotely or extend your stay to avoid the traffic, you can significantly reduce your accident risk and arrive home safely,” advises Attwell.
Nearly a third of long-distance trips start between 4am and 7am. However, a departure after 8am results in drivers dealing with less traffic, across all journeys measured.
According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, most accidents over the 2023/24 holiday season occurred in the first, third, and fourth weeks of December, and many of these accidents were fatal. Reasons for this included people driving after consuming alcohol at year-end parties and an increase in holiday traffic volumes on major routes, which heightens accident risk.
