About one third of minibus taxi crashes were single vehicles as a result of tyre bust. The worst day for accidents recorded was on Saturday the 18th of December 1999, when 42 people died. A noted increase in very early morning accidents was also experienced. For December as a whole the majority of accidents happened between 19h00 and 20h00 in the evening. Although the total traffic volumes in December 1999 were very similar to those in December 1998, a few exceptional days were experienced.
Speed still plays a major role in accidents.
Traffic volumes and speeds were recorded at a total number of 47 counting stations on the rural road network for the full months of December 1999 and January 2000. The hours at which these speeds were measured corresponds with the hours during which fatal accidents happened. High speeds were also recorded on the n3 in the free state between Williers and warden and on the n1 in the northern province between Pretoria and Warmbaths. Exceptionally high speeds were recorded particularly on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays - the days of the week on which most of the weekly accidents happen. It is also important to note that many of the accident reports received from Kwazulu Natal, Eastern Cape and The Free State listed poor visibility and lighting conditions as a contributory factor.