Big fine for reckless taxi driver

HEAVY: Sentencing

HEAVY: Sentencing

Published Feb 28, 2017

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Cape Town – A taxi driver has been convicted on a charge of reckless and negligent driving by the Bishop Lavis Magistrate's Court, following testimony by a City Ghost Squad officer.

The man was sentenced to a R10 000 fine or 200 days imprisonment last week and fined an additional R1 000 for being an unlicensed driver.

The taxi driver was one of six arrested by the Ghost Squad on September 27, 2016.

Reckless

Officers were attending to a complaint of reckless and negligent driving on Valhalla Drive in Bishop Lavis. He cut across a painted island, disobeyed a solid channelising line, and caused vehicles travelling in the right lane of oncoming traffic to swerve to avoid a collision.

He then drove more than 200 metres on the wrong side of the wet road.

The driver’s excuse was that he was late as a result of the bad weather.

“This is a very good conviction and I tip my hat to the Ghost Squad but also the National Prosecuting Authority for bringing this case to a conclusion,” said City Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith.

“We take a lot of flak as a result of perceptions that the lawlessness of taxi drivers goes unpunished. Hopefully this conviction will go some way to changing those perceptions.

“It should also send a message to others that there are consequences for bad behaviour.”

Daily Voice

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