Lawlessness, not speeding, is the underlying cause behind South Africa’s high vehicle fatality rates, with many drivers treating the rules of the road as mere suggestions.
This is according to Brendan Benfield, an associate of the Free Market Foundation, who recently wrote an opinion piece on the issues plaguing road safety in South Africa.
Benfield claimed that, from the 1990s onwards, the minibus taxi industry has played a major role in the collapse of the country’s driving etiquette, disregarding road laws at the expense of other motorists.
“Traffic lights became optional; emergency lanes became driving lanes; stopping in the middle of roads became normal; aggressive intimidation of other motorists rapidly became part of daily life on South African roads,” he wrote.
He spoke about a friend, who remarked at the time that, once people publicly observe others breaking the law without consequence, they would eventually begin to imitate that behaviour themselves, not only on the roads, but in every part of South Africa.
Benfield said that it was hard to argue with this observation 30 years later, when it’s clear that the law is no longer consistently enforced on the roads, and that the law is therefore slowly being erased from the public mind.
“The lawlessness has become democratised. South Africans have learned from one another that rules are optional and enforcement is unlikely.”
Benfield noted the many driving offences that he witnesses as part of his daily commute to drop his kids off at school, including:
- Illegal U-turns
- Blocking intersections
- Cars driving through red lights
- Turning lanes used as straight lanes
- Emergency lanes used as normal lanes
- Passengers dropped off in active traffic
- Recklessly cutting across multiple lanes
He commented that the police are never around to capture these offences; however, they reliably set up roadblocks at midday to check motorists for licence discs, driver’s licences, and outstanding traffic fines.
It sends a message that it is easier to generate revenue from law-abiding middle-class motorists than it is to confront dangerous road users.
Government blames speeding while ignoring other offences
Benfield gave another example of a time where he allowed his car’s speed to increase from 80km/h to 90km/h while travelling downhill.
Three other cars drove through a red light while Benfield was pulled over for speeding. When he asked the officers why they hadn’t done anything about the red-light offenders, they said, “We are the high-speed pursuit department. We don’t deal with other traffic offences.”
Benfield argued that this one statement sums up the problem with South Africa’s current law enforcement, noting that the government messaging increasingly insists that “speed kills.”
He said this was a politically useful slogan because it is simple, measurable and profitable to enforce, but that it was also a convenient statement that doesn’t acknowledge the complicated reality of South Africa’s road crisis.
South Africa has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world at approximately 25 deaths per 100,000 people. Nearly half of these deaths are pedestrians.
Alcohol is also a serious contributor, with various studies and police crime statistics pointing to an extremely high level of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes.
Benfield argued that these are not “speed” problems, but lawlessness problems, with drunk driving, pedestrian negligence, corruption, and driver intimidation being the realities faced by road users.
“Ironically, the world itself remains divided on speed limits. While many cities are lowering urban speed limits in dense pedestrian areas, other countries continue experimenting with higher highway limits as vehicle safety technology improves,” he explained.
“Czechia, for example, has begun trialling 150 km/h limits on selected motorway sections. The debate globally is, therefore, far more nuanced than the simplistic slogan “speed kills.”
He pointed out that modern cars are far safer and more advanced than the ones that existed at the time the country’s original speed standards were based on years ago.
It was also highlighted that large speed differentials are just as dangerous, meaning that driving too slowly can be just as much of a hazard as someone driving too fast.
Benfield argued that South Africa needs to have an honest debate about road safety, as the country is increasingly pursuing the easiest and most lucrative forms of enforcement, such as speed cameras and roadside fines.
These measures are primarily aimed at motorists who are already broadly compliant, while lawless drivers continue to be ignored.
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