Cape Town - A Cape Town woman claims she couldn’t get to her dying mother in time after traffic cops pulled her over and fined her R1 500 for driving in the yellow lane.
Janine Pretorius Swartz accused traffic cops of being insensitive and trying to fill their coffers instead of allowing her to get to hospital to say goodbye to her mom.
Posting on the Facebook page, Traffic fines, cameras and updates in Western Cape on Saturday, she said she and her driver were pulled over by two “rude” officers on the M5 highway.
She says they were driving in the yellow lane meant “for emergency purposes” with their hazards on and were not interfering with traffic.
Swartz posted: “I’m explaining to the officer or at least trying to as they were not even interested in our reasons and she was so damn rude telling me well if it’s her time then its her time! How I was burning to give her a moerse klap at the time I mean how dare she! Well we were given a R1 500 fine! Please see these rude officers and I pray to God it doesn’t happen to them where they can’t get to their loved ones in time,” she wrote, along with a photo of the officers. [sic].
She claimed in the comments section that her mom died before they could get to the hospital.
However, City director for safety and security, Richard Bosman, says traffic was flowing as it was not peak hour when Swartz was pulled over.
He says the incident occurred last Tuesday, November 28, and officers saw the car driving on the left shoulder of the M5 just before Racecourse Road.
The driver was speeding and passed a number of vehicles, including the officers.
“When the officers approached the driver and asked for his driver’s licence, the female passenger started shouting at the officers,” says Bosman.
He says the woman remained in the car and was not part of the conversation as officers explained to the driver that the sick person was in the best possible hands in hospital.
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They added that driving fast on the shoulder as they did, posed a danger to other road users.
“There was no arguing or disagreement with the driver and he understood the explanations given by the officers.”
Bosman adds: “There is a misconception that a shoulder is an emergency lane and can be used at that. This is not true.”
In addition, he says no formal complaint had been received from Swartz.
The City’s JP Smith says social media posts are a waste of time as complainants are not following the proper procedures.
“We have a procedure and investigate all complaints and will take action if an officer is found guilty of misconduct. We can’t do anything with Facebook posts.”