South Africa’s road fatalities and the insolvent road accident fund: How did we end up here?

South Africa's road fatality rate remains among the worst globally, exceeding 24 deaths per 100,000 population, far above the world average of 15 and the EU average of 6.1. Despite the UN's Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030) targeting a 50% reduction in deaths, South Africa has shown no meaningful improvement since 2000, unlike EU counterparts, which have seen dramatic declines. This editorial traces the history of South Africa's road accident compensation system, from voluntary insurance before 1942 through successive legislative reforms, from the Motor Vehicle Insurance Act (1942), the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (1965), the shift to a fuel-levy model (1986), and the establishment of the current Road Accident Fund (RAF) in 1997. Today, the RAF is deeply insolvent, with liabilities exceeding R450 billion against R50 billion in annual revenue, spending more on legal fees than on road safety campaigns. The editorial argues that South Africa's policy focus has misplaced priorities, emphasising the Fund's financial viability rather than reducing fatalities. It calls for proven international interventions, including lower speed limits, demerit-point licensing systems, and risk-based insurance tied to driving behaviour and concludes that saving lives, not sustaining the RAF, should be the true measure of success.