Pretoria - Theories were thrown about on social media and online platforms on Monday after the death of two Tshwane Metro Police Department officers, whose official car crashed into a cow on the N1 on Friday night.
Spokesman Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said the department would not be drawn into speculation.
Constables Tshepo Mphaka and Smith Sefoka died at the scene of the crash, which involved three other cars near the Murrayhill off-ramp. Their colleague, Kreshen Naidoo, survived. The cow also died.
Questions have been raised about the speed at which the BMW was travelling. Some bloggers called for the owner of the cow to be prosecuted.
Driving skills expert, Rob Handfield-Jones, said it was impossible to say what speed the officers were doing, but they were not able to stop or swerve in the distance they could see. That could mean a number of things, such as overdriving headlights, fatigue, driver distraction and mechanical failure, he said.
“It could also mean there was more than one cow. What if they saw a cow, swerved, missed it, but then hit a second cow which was not visible in their headlights initially?”
Handfield-Jones said it was not unusual to see livestock on most major national routes, including the N3, N2 and N1. “If one assumes that a cow weighs about a ton, the force of impact would be similar to striking a stationary car,” he said.
“The bulk of the animal’s mass is two or three feet (about 1m) off the ground, meaning the main impact is with the windscreen and roof rather than the frontal crumple zones which are better able to absorb impact forces.”
Handfield-Jones could not comment on whether the owner of the cow could be held responsible.
“The first factor is whether the driver had not adjusted the speed so they could stop or swerve in the distance illuminated by the headlights at night. The second factor is the alarming state of South Africa’s roadside fences, which are often vandalised or stolen for scrap metal – or as building materials – meaning animals are able to roam free.
“The only way we will know for sure is if the vehicle has on-board video recording or the surviving officer makes a statement,” he said.
An online reader who identified himself as “Ralph W” said: “Sorry for the loss of life, but when I drive on open roads I look way up ahead and slow down if I see animals which could wander into the road.”
Another, posting under the name “BigBlue”, said motorists did not expect cows, broken down vehicles, cars making U-turns and dogs on the N1. “But if the officers were alert and driving at the posted speed limit, the BMW’s safety features – crumple zone and airbags – would have offered some protection.”
Vukani Madlomo said: “They were driving on a freeway at night. You do not expect animals there.”
“Manyoka” said these days he expects animals and pedestrians anywhere, anytime, near villages, smallholdings and game reserves.
Pretoria News