Precious Nduli, Chief Commercial Officer of Discovery Insure

Discovery Insure has unveiled its latest Holiday Drive Trends report, offering a data-driven look at festive season travel patterns and driving behaviours across South Africa. The analysis draws on telematics data from 200,000 Discovery Insure clients and 170 million trips recorded over the past three holiday seasons (2022-2024).

“With the enormous volume of driving data we analyse each year, we can see the rhythm of South Africa’s festive travel with real clarity. These trends help us highlight the behaviours that put people at risk – and the simple choices that make holiday travel safer for everyone,” says Precious Nduli, Chief Commercial Officer of Discovery Insure.

The most travelled holiday road-trip routes

For Discovery Insure clients, Joburg to Durban via Harrismith is the most heavily driven long-distance route, with over 11,000 trips recorded on average each festive season. Cape Town to Saldanha Bay follows with more than 9,000 trips, while Joburg to Limpopo via Bela-Bela comes in third place with 8,000 trips.

Other popular routes include Durban to the South Coast and Cape Town to George, both averaging approximately 6,000 trips. Considering the distance to Cape Town from Johannesburg, few people choose to drive this route (an average of 2,500 trips recorded).

City-specific driving behaviours – Cape Town gets the calm award

A look at short trips (under 25km) across different cities highlights distinct differences in festive season driving behaviour in comparing the major metros:

• Durban’s drivers are the most aggressive, with the highest acceleration penalties and the most speeding events
• Cape Town’s drivers are the slowest on the roads, but consistently record the highest cornering events
• Joburg drivers have the highest rates of distracted driving (most phone use behind the wheel)

Men, women, or young people – who drives best?

Analysing driving data for the whole year (2025) reveals clear differences across demographic groups:

• Men show more aggressive driving, recording 22% more harsh acceleration, 43% more sharp cornering and 25% more speeding than women
• Women show higher levels of distracted driving, including 15% more phone use and 9% more abrupt braking than men
• Drivers aged 30 to 35 record the most speeding and distracted driving
• Younger drivers (aged 20 to 25), although more attentive, face higher accident rates due to limited driving experience.

Festive travel peaks and patterns

“Our roads follow a predictable rhythm every December,” adds Nduli. “The festive migration starts between 15 and 24 December, and this pattern has remained stable over the past three holiday seasons.”

Return trips peak on 2 January, the busiest travel date of the season, with traffic volumes up to five times higher than mid-January. After 6 January, volumes fall sharply and settle at roughly 10% of peak levels by mid-month. Travelling outside these peak days can reduce time spent in congestion and lower the risk of incidents on major routes.

Speeding spikes, but saves almost no time

The 2025 Holiday Drive Trends Report also reveals that speeding increases by 23% during the festive season, likely due to the light traffic and people taking advantage of open roads. But the time saved by speeding is negligible – only 2 to 4 minutes per hour.

Nduli adds, “Speeding offers almost no benefit in terms of travel time to your holiday destination but dramatically increases the risk of accidents.”

Home insurance risks also rise over the holidays

The top three festive season claims, consistently recorded by Discovery Insure are:

• Burst geysers or leaks
• Storm damage
• Theft

“A few quick pre-holiday checks, such as securing windows and doors, and ensuring that geysers and roofs are in good shape, can be invaluable in protecting your home and peace of mind while away,” says Nduli.

Driving behaviour matters year-round

“Our Vitality Drive programme has proven time and again that when people are supported and rewarded for safer behaviour, they drive better – and that reduces accidents for everyone on the road.”

“We hope this report helps South Africans plan their journeys more thoughtfully, protect the people they love and return home safely this festive season and beyond,” says Nduli.

ENDS