On 20 October, Cape Town’s traffic services held a heavy-duty operation to check for unlawful vehicles, during which it made 336 stops of 220 heavy and 116 other vehicles, in the process recording a total of 4,624 offences.
This equates to an average of just under 14 offences per vehicle.
The transgressions included:
- 10 heavy motor vehicles with unsecured loads
- 23 vehicles suspended for roadworthiness
- 33 drivers without a professional driving permit
- 37 overloaded heavy motor vehicles
- 60 vehicles with expired licence discs
- 74 fines for defects
- 150 fines for smooth or worn tyres
“These are just some of the transgressions from one operation across a few areas and it’s disconcerting that it resulted in so many recorded offences across vehicle categories,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
“Drivers put their own lives and other road users at risk and our officers will continue to ensure everyone obeys the law.”
The operation covered the Cape Town Harbour/Koeberg Road, Contermanskloof/Tygervalley, upper freeways, and the Philippi/Schaapkraal areas.
It focused on areas where cargo, goods, and equipment are transported by heavy vehicles to ensure that these motorists are roadworthy and obey the law.
South Africa’s lifeblood
A sizeable portion of South Africa’s goods is moved across the country via large trucks measuring from 12.5 to 22 metres long, which when loaded could weigh anywhere between 10 to 60 tonnes at a time, according to Arrive Alive.
These heavy-haulage vehicles take more time to accelerate and come to a stop again than your standard passenger car and motorists therefore need to be careful when driving around them.
As a truck driver’s blind spot can span metres around the sides and at the rear of the truck, it is recommended that if you’re in a car you keep a safe following distance to ensure the driver can see you.
Always remember, if you can’t see his mirrors, he can’t see you.
Even when driving next to a truck on a dual-lane carriageway it’s not guaranteed the driver knows you’re there. As a rule of thumb, if the driver’s reflection is visible in his mirror, he can see you.
When it comes to overtaking the big vehicles, Arrive Alive advises that only one car does so at a time and only when you are absolutely sure of no oncoming traffic, blind rises, and corners.
“Allow plenty of space to pass quickly but safely and pull back in only when you can see both headlights of the truck in your rear-view mirror,” said the organisation.
“This allows a safe space, but don’t then slow down in front of the truck.”
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