LAST week 10 children were killed in a horrific accident in Blackheath near Cape Town. In a split second, children who had so much to live for lost their lives and left behind grieving parents, relatives and friends.

Who can forget the aching cry and anguished scream of one mother, who chanted over and over again on our television screens: "I want my baby. I want my baby."

Her son was one of nine children killed when the taxi in which they were travelling smashed into a train after driving through the closed boom of a level crossing.

The facts of this tragedy will be determined in court, but police spokesperson Colonel Billy Jones said: "Preliminary investigations indicate that the boom at the level crossing was down when the taxi crossed the railway track."

Eyewitnesses also say the taxi jumped a queue of cars waiting at the level crossing and was then hit by an oncoming train.

We now also know that the 55-year-old driver, Jacob Humphreys, had been transporting children for 10 years and that this was not the first time he had crossed the track.

He will of course have his day in court, but let us not beat about the bush here, this incident is symptomatic of the total anarchy on South African roads.

These days it is not just the taxi drivers: most road users in South Africa think they are invincible and in total control.

Oh, and the excuses we make! I would not be surprised if Humphreys were to argue that it is not his fault but that on that Wednesday morning the train was just faster than usual.

From my experience most taxi drivers drive too fast, they overload, they don't indicate and stop wherever and whenever they like. They argue that there are no designated areas for them to stop for passengers.

True, but I have seen two taxis occupying two lanes, stop so the drivers can talk and exchange money.

In our self-righteousness as private motorists we blame the taxis.

But what about the mother or father who is driving with family but has his or her eyes away from the road, while SMSing? What is this message that is so urgent it cannot wait until you reach your destination? What is this SMS that is worth your life and the lives of others? Yes, I know, "it won't happen to you."

In South Africa these days an orange traffic light does not mean prepare for a change to red and start slowing down. Instead, it means accelerate so you can reach the other side and save a whole minute on your travel time. What a grand achievement!

Have you seen how we South African drivers speed up just before the traffic light turns red and when there is no more space for cars in the direction in which we are travelling, we force our way through and all come to a gridlock in the middle of the intersection.

This, of course, means the drivers for whom the traffic light turns green cannot drive through because we are now all stuck in the middle of the intersection and blocking each other's way.

I wish someone would film our behaviour so we can see how pathetic we are on the road.

Now we come to the buses and trucks that just shove their way in front of you without indicating, knowing well that if there is a crash, they walk out on both feet while you, in your smaller car, are trapped and injured, often fatally.

Pedestrians also walk on freeways, cross the road when the traffic light is red and then have the audacity to give you dirty looks and show you the middle finger when you hoot.

And the blue light brigade who think the rules are for everyone else but them.

Politicians must also obey the rules and manage their diaries properly. There is no excuse for endangering lives by speeding.

Unlike Humphreys, we might not have killed people on the road yet, but when he next appears in court, we must join him in the dock, because it is only a matter of time before we actually do.