ChildSafe South Africa, in partnership with UNICEF, has released its latest national policy brief, Reducing Speed, Saving Lives, calling for legislative and infrastructure reform to protect child pedestrians across South Africa.

The publication lays out an urgent national roadmap to reduce child road traffic injuries — now the second leading cause of death among children aged 0–14 in South Africa.

Using evidence from the multi-year WATCH programme in the Western Cape — particularly traffic-calming interventions at 14 schools in Belhar and Delft — the brief makes the case for enforceable 30 km/h school zones. These include raised pedestrian crossings, speed humps, and community education campaigns designed to reduce risk in high-speed corridors like Stellenbosch Arterial.

The Safe System Approach anchors the brief’s recommendations, which also draw on international best practice and South African road fatality data, including the alarming statistic that 16% of all pedestrian deaths in the country involve children under 14.

Key recommendations include:

  • Amending the National Road Traffic Act to enforce school zone speed limits
  • Strengthening enforcement and learner transport regulation
  • Creating visibly marked school zones with physical calming measures
  • Promoting behavioural change through driver and pedestrian education

Download the full policy brief here

Suggested Citation: ChildSafe South Africa. (2025). Reducing Speed, Saving Lives: National Policy Brief for Child Road Injury Prevention in South Africa. Cape Town: ChildSafe South Africa.

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