Why are drivers skipping lights in SA? Angry readers respond

Cape Town - Earlier in August Wheels24 reported on a horror crash between a Volkswagen Golf 6 and a delivery van. Both vehicles skipped their respective traffic lights.

The Golf skipped a red light and collided with the van, who in turn had jumped an amber light.

The video garnered many responses from Wheels24 readers, with many asking why these types of crashes are prevalent in South Africa. Many readers believe that a combination of lack of law enforcement and disregard for road safety is to blame.

READ: Horror crash kills 4 in Gauteng - Why are drivers skipping lights in SA?

Brian Drury said: To answer the question why do so many drivers these days jump red traffic lights?

Simple, because they can, and the traffic cops are seldom to be seen at the traffic lights, or on the road enforcing the laws relating to moving violations. They are all hiding behind bushes with their cameras to make money out of drivers exceeding the speed limit - as if this was the only cause of road traffic accidents.  ‘Speed kills’, you know, this seems to be the only song they can sing.  

Have you not noticed how the pattern, frequency and blatant disregard of all traffic laws has increased? Largely it started with taxis, creeping over the lines at intersections, then taking off before the lights have changed to green, or speeding through amber lights, and then driving right through red lights. Also cutting in/forcing their way in at the front of the cue of cars. Other motorists have watched this, and then started doing the same - why be the only guy still stationery at the traffic lights, with the taxi or car behind you hooting to you to jump the light?     

Please – someone rescue our roads before we completely become just another third - world lawless disaster!

Watch the video below:

Anthony Hofmeyr: I’m on holiday in Germany at the moment and have been here for five weeks now. During this time I have not seen any car crashes at robots because of the way the robots work here. The lights go from green to red, and from red to amber and then green. No cars cross the road when it’s not safe to do so.

Leon: I have confronted many drivers who have blatantly skipped a red traffic light in broad daylight. Their defence is almost always the same: "Taxis do it and get away with it, why can't I?" I'm afraid that's just childish. We all know what is right and wrong. Stop following the wrong crowd, and do what is right. Lives are at stake here.

Estelle: I think road users are aggressive, have no respect for the law, and therefore do not have any self-respect. I have people hooting at me when I stop at a stop street. Overtake me at a stop street when I stop, and if I do not pull away quickly enough at a robot (I look left and right even after the traffic light turned green for me) get extremely aggressive towards me. If, and this is a big IF, people do stop at a stop street, it is not behind the white line but halfway into the intersection. I am not prepared to go down to anybody's level by driving like a lunatic.

Not to mention the taxi's, they are a law upon themselves! There are so many traffic lights lying on the road as a result of an accident that happened at some stage or another. The cost to tax payers for having to fix and/or replace the traffic lights because of the negligent and reckless way people are driving is also an issue for me. Surely this must also be a huge cost to the insurance industry.

Not to mention the loss of human life. It is also male, female, young and old that drive like lunatics. It all started because the traffic police are not anywhere to be seen enforcing the law. People are therefore acting and behaving like kids in a unattended classroom; doing what they like.

Paul George: There is no law enforcement taking place. I have yet to see traffic officers pulling drivers off for reckless driving, skipping orange and red lights (orange only to clear intersection yet drivers speed over intersection). 

Witness driver overtaking on solid lines on Moloto road every time I drive along road every second weekend. 

Deon Binden: An extremely large percentage of road users do not stop at stop signs and travel through red traffic lights - even during the day. They definitely do not even start to stop when the traffic lights turns amber. Traffic lights have already turned green for the opposite traffic to proceed, but yet one has to wait as there will always be another vehicle going through.

When I raise my hands to the vehicle going through a red light, I get shown the middle finger, so absolutely no sympathy for those that break one of the most simplest of road rules. 

Comments on social media