THE CARNAGE on Limpopo roads has become a nightmare for the government and the public with an average of five people losing their lives a day .

The province has recorded a total of 44 deaths since January 30 and more deaths are expected if motorists and pedestrians do not take precautionary road safety measures seriously.

The latest accident took place in Lebowakgomo yesterday when a speeding light delivery vehicle overturned, killing three people instantly and leaving three others seriously injured.

A few hours later, a pedestrian on the side of the road was hit and killed by a speeding vehicle and three others were injured.

Another pedestrian was killed by a speeding vehicle in Bolobedu.

Eleven people died and nine others were seriously injured when a truck and a Toyota Venture collided on the N1 road between Polokwane and Louis Trichardt on Friday.

The accidents took place barely two days after 13 people died last week in an accident on the same road that left 16 others in critical conditions.

On the same day four people died and 12 others were injured when a truck transporting logs of wood to Boyne burst a tyre and rolled several times on the road between Boyne and Chuenespoort.

A fortnight ago, 11 people died when two minibus taxis, a bakkie and a delivery vehicle collided along a bridge in Grobblersdal in the Sekhukhune area.

Spokesperson for the department of roads and transport Wisani Ngobeni said the province has encountered a higher number of deaths on its roads compared to this time last year.

Ngobeni said fatigue, speeding and unroadworthiness of the vehicles were the main causes of most accidents and that 90percent of the accidents happened at night.

Roads and transport MEC Pinky Kekana has spent the past two weeks visiting hospitals to sympathise with the injured people.