New road laws for South Africa

·20 Nov 2015

Reduced speed limits, heavy vehicles to be banned during rush hour. Earlier in 2015, Wheels24 reported on new draft road and traffic regulations for South Africa by the National Transport Department.

Draft regulations intended to reduce road carnage include slower speed limits, the banning of carrying children in a bakkie load bay and restricting the use of heavy vehicles on public roads.

The Justice Project South Africa claims the proposals were “bastardised by persons at the Department of Transport”.

The transport department told said the proposed regulations would possibly be implemented by the end of 2015.

Transport department spokesman Ishmael Mnisi said the proposed legislation would have to be presented to his party’s cabinet, be discussed in Parliament and include public input. He said the department hoped to implement the proposed regulations by the end of 2015.

As of November 2015, it’s unclear whether government will pass any of the proposed legislation.

JPSA chairman, Howard Howard Dembovsky, said: “There’s no telling when or if these drafts will be passed because road safety is clearly not a priority [for the Transport Department].”

One new law already passed requires drivers to provide proof of residence when renewing a driving licence or vehicle licence disk. It could be worse, a draft regulation, if passed, would compel drivers to take a practical test when renewing a driving licence.

The draft regulations, published in the Government Gazette, propose these five changes to legislation:

Drivers to be re-evaluated when renewing a licence
No more than five people to be carried in a bakkie load bed
Children not to be transported in a bakkie load bed
Speed limits to be reduced from 60km/h to 40km/h in urban areas, from 100 to 80km/h in rural areas and from 120 to 100km/h on freeways running through a residential area
Goods vehicles above 9 000kg GVM to be banned from public roads during peak travelling times.

News24