What traffic rules...?
2007-12-19 18:37
Polokwane - The life expectancy of ordinary motorists in the Polokwane area has probably dropped significantly since the start of the African National Congress' conference there at the weekend.
The armada of big black bodyguard bakkies that rush the scores of party bigwigs to and from the conference has created its own set of traffic rules.
The drivers apparently believe that if they flash their blue lights and drive very fast, they have right of way - even at an intersection where the traffic lights are red against them.
This holds even when they are not escorting VIPs.
And it works: a Ford Fiesta was seen shooting an intersection with emergency flickers flashing and the vehicle was not pulled over - although it was late at night, and there were no traffic cops around.
Speed limits have become little more than a quaint notion.
On Wednesday morning, an ordinary police van on its way to the conference, raced down the road at something close to 140km/h.
The conference is being held at the University of Limpopo, some 30km from Polokwane town, where most of the VIP delegates are staying.
Driving on the single-lane tar road past the university has proved particularly dangerous for delegates after conference adjourns for the night.
Then, to avoid sitting in the slow crawl of delegates heading back to Polokwane, the big black bakkies simply take over the oncoming lane, forcing all other vehicles onto the verge.
- SAPA