Years after speaking on a cellphone while driving was banned, motorists continue to do so.
Although the Tshwane Metro Police say they are carrying out law enforcement, the message doesn't seem to be getting through.
Stand on any street corner in the city centre and scores of motorists will pass you speaking on their phones.
Tshwane Metro Police spokesperson Luné van Heerden said talking on your cellphone while driving was a serious offence but motorists were not taking it seriously.
| 'The trend of multi-tasking does not apply to driving a vehicle - the risks are too high' |
"We are targeting motorists speaking on their cellphones but with little effect. Talking on your cellphone while driving is just as irresponsible as driving under the influence or driving without a seatbelt. Motorists are aware of the dangers of the latter two offences, but somehow driving and talking on your cellphone is not taken as seriously.
"The trend of multi-tasking does not apply to driving a vehicle - the risks are too high," Van Heerden said.
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The regulation 308a 1a Act 93 of 1996 states that holding a cellphone while driving in hand or with other part of the body and 1b) that an instrument not affixed to or not part of a vehicle, are both punishable with a fine of R200.
Van Heerden said the responsibility of implementing the regulation did not only lie at the door of law enforcement agencies.
"Motorists need to realise that the responsibility of driving safely starts with themselves. If you know it is against the law, do not do it - for your sake and the safety of those around you," she said.
Van Heerden added that motorists should not drink and drive or speed, should always wear a seatbelt, adhere to traffic rules and not talk on their cellphones while driving.
Exact figures of how many fines had been issued since the inception of the cellphone regulation were not available.
Although no research has been done in the country on the dangers of driving while speaking on a cellphone, several websites claim the combination to be deadly.
According to consumerreports.org, talking or dialling a cellphone can affect motorists' driving skills to varying degrees.
The report stated that motorists would wander into different lanes or slow down while driving and using a cellphone.
Others could not remember traffic signs they passed while driving and speaking or took longer periods of time to answer simple questions.
Gary Ronald, spokesperson for the Automobile Association (AA), said most motorists knew it was illegal but still did it anyway.
"What we are noticing is that a large number of people are still persisting without even a handsfree kit or actually pulling over to take a call. But then again it is also illegal to stop on a highway so either do not make or receive calls or get a hands free kit for when you are driving," he said.
Ronald did, however, confess that even the use of a handsfree kit was as distracting as holding the phone.
"It is one of the aspects of road safety issues that we look at from time to time and it is simply that a large number of really life-saving legislations such as wearing a seatbelt and drinking and driving are not adequately policed to make a difference to the number of deaths," he said.
Despite the lack of South African studies to support him, he strongly agreed that using a cellphone while driving contributed to the number of accidents and deaths on roads, he said.
- This article was originally published on page 2 of Pretoria News on May 03, 2005
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