Safer roads begin with us

We’ve become desensitised to bad driving. These days, my reaction to seeing a fellow road user doing something blatantly stupid, is precisely nothing. Just resigned indifference. No eye-rolling, no muttered expletives.

It is what it is. You’ve just got to stay in your lane, remain vigilant, keep a safe following distance and try to stay out of the path of errant motorists who seemingly could care less for the rules of the road and the lives of others.

That’s really all a person can do. Of course, that’s if you’ve got the privilege of being able to control your movements as a car-owning motorist, not a commuter at the mercy of public transport operators. The very basics appear to be disregarded with impunity on our roads.

Maybe you’re reading this after getting to work. How many times did you see fellow drivers cross solid lines? Driving at absolutely stupid speeds in residential areas Or use the emergency lane to get past traffic? Or ignore Stop signs and traffic lights?

Or use the wrong side of a traffic circle in a bid to save a few, pointless seconds? Perhaps you’re the culprit of such antics. Hopefully you’ll be able to reflect on your driving antics sooner than later. It’s something we all need to do, daily, remind ourselves that safer roads begin with responsible, individual actions.

We’re entering the silly season and it’s going to get worse, as it usually does, year after year. I know I mentioned a sense of indifference earlier in this tirade – but there are instances where it’s hard not to get livid at certain acts: like seeing the driver of a vehicle and their occupants casually holding bottles of open liquor.

As if it’s the most natural thing to do, while behind the wheel, endangering themselves but more crucially, others who are simply trying to get from point A-to-B safely. There’s no other way to say it, but if you drive under the influence, be it liquor or anything else, you deserve what’s coming to you. It’s just tragic that others innocently caught it in the carnage, don’t deserve their fate.

Scary thought is that it could be you or me, endangered by the foolish actions of others around the proverbial bend. It’s that person who decides to overtake on a blind-rise. It’s that person who thinks they’ll be able to beat the orange light at the intersection, so they floor it.

We continue to wonder, as we always have, where’s the consistent, visible traffic enforcement? I’m not talking about those big, busy, sting operations. Or those crafty speed-trap setups as generators of revenue. That’s not going to sustainably correct behaviour, prevent recklessness and driving misdeeds. Nor are holiday season platitudes from transport officials, stating the obvious, year after year.

It doesn’t seem like the solutions will be administered to us. Under the circumstances, the best thing we can all do, is start with a mindset change. As a motoring scribe I’m often asked, how can one become a better driver? And which are the best driver training experiences out there?

Advanced driving courses teach a great deal, indeed. But your biggest tool in chest of sharper driving tactics is to have the good sense to exercise responsibility in the first place. If you think being able to drift a car around Zwartkops is what makes a great driver, you might have bigger problems.

The ticket to being a safe, competent driver is actually quite simple. Follow the rules of the road. And just be sensible. When you get into your car after reading this, do me a favour and give it a try.

Start with the basics. Where the speed limit is 60km/h, do 60km/h. Where the speed limit is 80km/h, do that. Forget about that tailgating hot-head in the Polo behind you – let them overtake and waste fuel. Clearly they don’t care about saving money. Keep left, pass right. An absolutely simple rule that’s going to spare you plenty of anxiety.

If you see a solid line, don’t overtake on it. If you get to an intersection, avoid being the person who creeps slowly into traffic while the light is still red – to try and be the first off the mark. You’re literally going to get to the next intersection at the same time as the people around you.

Traffic circle? Don’t panic, don’t speed into it, or try to cut your way around on the opposite side. Just yield to traffic. Then proceed when safe. That’s really all you have to do. And for goodness sake, drive sober. There are plenty other unsavoury habits to address, but I think you get the gist of my point by now. Let’s be the kind of level-headed, courteous, responsible and law-abiding motorists we all want to see in Mzansi. It’s worth a try.