At least 568 people have been killed in road accidents since the beginning of December, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said on Monday.

In a statement it said 168 of those killed were drivers, 230 passengers and 170 pedestrians.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of fatalities with 116 people, Limpopo 89, Gauteng 83, Mpumalanga 84, Free State 62, Eastern Cape 55, North West 36, the Western Cape 32 and the Northern Cape 11.

According to the RMTC, the main contributors to accidents were speeding, driver fatigue, burst tyres, pedestrians jaywalking and drunken driving.