As festive travel ramps up, Suzuki Auto South Africa is championing safer journeys through its DriveSMART campaign and enhanced vehicle safety features.
The festive season is here and thousands of South Africans around the country will soon be taking to our highways and byways to visit holiday locations, friends and family.
Though this period is traditionally a time for well-earned rest and relaxation, it also brings increased traffic that can negatively impact road safety. Combined with heightened congestion, frayed tempers, and ever-waning attention spans, it's no surprise that everything from road rage and fender benders to far more serious accidents tends to spike at this time of year.
With this in mind, Suzuki Auto South Africa continues its partnership with FleetMax Africa on the DriveSMART with Suzuki campaign: an innovative road-safety curriculum shared across both organisations' social media channels. Designed for South African audiences, the campaign features a series of short, informative videos covering more than 120 topics, including defensive driving, vehicle maintenance, and other essential safety skills.
"Road safety is fundamental to how we think about mobility at Suzuki," says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa. "That's why we're proud of our DriveSMART campaign and how it's helping drivers across South Africa become safer, more disciplined motorists, regardless of age or background."
This proactive approach to keeping people safe out on the road is also evident in Suzuki Auto South Africa's latest products, with the new fourth-generation Swift and Dzire arriving with six airbags (front, side and curtain) as standard from their local debut. Both of these models are further enhanced with class-leading features such as side impact door beams, ABS brakes with EBD, brake assist, electronic stability programme, rear parking sensors and rear ISOFIX anchors. In addition, all Swift and Dzire occupants have access to three-point seatbelts (two front, three rear) with audible/visual reminders.
Equally popular models in the Japanese brand's ever-expanding portfolio have also benefited from a recent safety boost. As of November 2025, all grades of the Suzuki Fronx crossover SUV, Baleno hatchback, and the Ertiga and XL6 MPVs come fitted with six airbags, providing added peace of mind for every holiday kilometre. Incidentally, all four vehicles use Suzuki's proven I .5-Iitre four-cylinder petrol engine (77kW/138Nm), which delivers reliable performance and impressive fuel efficiency; helping owners keep more money in their pocket by the time they reach their destination.
"Road safety in South Africa is ultimately a shared responsibility, and we want to empower every driver to make better decisions behind the wheel," says Carpenter. "As people head out to enjoy the festive season holidays, we hope that smarter driving habits and the safety features in our vehicles help ensure every journey ends well. From our Suzuki family to yours, we wish you safe, joyful travels."
