Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s Alderman JP Smith says South Africa needs to get back to driving basics after a truck got stuck under the bridge on the N1 inbound, at Paarden Eiland.
Smith has questioned the competence of drivers after a widely shared tweet on social media by @TrafficSA about a truck carrying expensive vehicles that got stuck under a bridge on the N1 inbound, at Paarden Eiland near Cape Town.
Smith took the matter to his personal Facebook page in addressing the issue and questioning the competence and awareness of truck drivers.
Cape Town - N1 Inbound: pic.twitter.com/KxWEexhpk1
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) December 30, 2022
In a long Facebook post, Smith said despite the bridge clearly indicating the minimum clearance height required.
“From light passenger vehicles to heavy freight transport, is South Africa seeing a decrease in driver competence on our roads? Is it the result of decreased enforcement over the years or the result of that of fraudulent licenses been issued?,”
“Even with a simple road rule covered in the K53 Learners License test: "Keep left, pass right," Smith said.
Smith says on any road with at least two lanes, including highways and freeways, motorists should always keep to the left and only use the right hand lane when overtaking.
“But so often, slower vehicles can be seen idling along on the right, causing a backup-up of irrate drivers behind them. South Africa needs to get back to the basics, but what if not all drivers understand what the basics really are?,” he said.
In giving the initial report about the incident, Smith said that officials had confirmed that the the vehicle carrier did not make contact with the bridge but instead drove through extremely slowly.
“This indicates a precise awareness of the load height versus the clearance height, and must be applauded by the actual driver,”
Smith says such bridge collisions sadly, are a regular occurrence elsewhere, such as in Muizenberg, albeit mostly with smaller style goods vehicles.
“Despite numerous warning signs and signalling devices before the bridge, the same questions arise around the basic rules of the road,” Smith added.
IOL