Drive left, pass right! This is South Africa’s golden rule for motorists.
Look right, look left and look right again, then cross the road if it’s safe. This is the fundamental lesson some of us learnt as children in terms of how to navigate our way around cars and when crossing the road. As the festive season, or as some call it “silly season”, exodus begins traffic authorities will be out in numbers to curb the carnage on our roads.
We are all-too-familiar with what happens on our roads every December or over the festive season. There are many people who, for various reasons, die on our roads. In part, motorists and pedestrians are responsible for these fatalities.
Government and traffic officials are doing their utmost to save our lives on the roads. Traffic officers spend so much of their time on the roads ensuring our safety. In some instances they sacrifice their well-deserved sleep to ensure we conduct ourselves within the confines of the law. Government officials come up with all sorts of ideas to curb the carnage. However, it is ultimately our behaviour that defines our destiny. No amount of prayers can save our lives on the roads if we continue to behave irresponsibly.
Pedestrians and drivers are all responsible for their safety on the roads. Rules are there to guide us. The same applies on our roads.
As drivers we are all-too-familiar with fellow motorists who like to monopolise the so-called fast lane on our freeways. This, to a degree, contributes to the general traffic flow on our roads. It often forces other drivers to overtake on the left, contrary to our golden rule. This becomes critical during this time of the year, especially for those who embark on the festive season exodus.
Most long-distance drivers would attest to witnessing risky driving behaviour due to either slow-driving trucks or inconsiderate drivers. Roads are our shared resource and are there to safely carry us all to our destinations. No-one has dominion over others here. As we head into the busy season, let’s respect and protect one another and reduce fatalities on our roads.
