SA's 'biggest roadhog'
2005-07-17 22:38
Johanna van Eeden
Pretoria - South Africa's biggest road hog drives an orange Peugeot and makes
fellow-motorists' blood boil in the Durban area.
This driver has been mentioned eight times on a website that offers "alternatives" to road rage.
Drivers are encouraged to report the source of irritation on roadhogs.co.za www.roadhogs.co.za instead of bursting with rage when a road hog
spoils their day.
And it is on this website where the orange Peugeot is king of the dungheap.
On January 26 2003 the orange hazard overtook another driver at such speed
on the N3 highway that "it looked as though I was parked" wrote the
objector, who was himself tearing up the tar at the time with a speed of
145km/h.
On March 4 2003 this Peugeot overtook another car at such a dangerous place
that its driver had to slam on brakes to avoid a collision.
The driver of the pumpkin-coloured Peugeot also seems to love racing on
public roads.
On March 5 2003 it was a "race" with an Audi and on April 11, the orange
rocket took on a black Peugeot.
But this driver not only maddens other road users because of his speeding.
Apparently he also overtakes other "slower" vehicles on the left by using
the emergency lane, as he did on June 9 2003 "at a speed of about
220km/h".
You might have thought on New Year's Eve that one of his New Year's
resolutions was to be "a responsible driver".
Don't you believe it.
Hand-brake turns
On February 11 last year the same car was reported again because the driver
was apparently driving "recklessly" and making "unbelievably good
hand-brake turns".
A road-hog informer whose path crossed that of the orange Peugeot on July 8
last year was furious because that car was going too fast and the driver
apparently also made an obscene gesture at his fellow driver.
"He was
smiling like the tooth fairy," the informer wrote.
Another driver, who was the angriest, wrote that the orange Peugeot "raced
at about 220km/h on August 23 last year and the "idiot" behind the wheel
could cause accidents.
The information about the driver on the website describes him as "smooth", sits "low down" and wears a black cap and blue sunglasses.
One informer
describes him as "Coyote Ugly" and another thinks the person "looks about
30, not the handsomest man".
'Second place'
The second place on the list of the "top 10" road hogs is shared by a blue
Volkswagen Polo Classic (Midrand) and a silver Volkswagen Fox (Cape Town),
which have both been informed on seven times.
Johannesburg has the most road hogs, with 55% of all complaints, followed by
Pretoria and Cape Town (13%), Durban (three percent) and Midrand (one
percent).
- Rapport