Daily News

I refer to two issues in your Tuesday edition (02/10/07) that made for interesting reading: “Public transport lanes” and “The demerit system”. It goes without saying that both articles were long overdue, however the latter requires urgent implementation. 

It appears that our roads have become like graveyards with the large number of accidents claiming lives daily as a result of reckless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol. Many people have lost their lives due to incompetent, inconsiderate, reckless and just plain bad drivers.

The demerit system may help to curb dangerous driving, but together with that, vigilant policing is needed to bring the culprits to book.

Let it not be the normal run-off-the mill passing legislation with no one to monitor and police it. Numerous examples may be cited where legislation was passed (e.g. the wearing of seatbelts), but very little was and is being done to actually implement it. This could be due to a serious shortage of police officers or it could mean that the police are turning a blind eye to what they consider ‘petty’ offences. At the end of it all, it's the little offences that add to the bigger issues and failing at one end opens up the opportunity for numerous other offences and crimes at the other end.

It is high time that taxis especially used demarcated routes and only those lanes specified to them. Not many people have spoken out against the bad taxi drivers, but one imagines that a different set of driving laws should apply to them.

We are all South Africans and need to be treated equally.

Ahmed Nanabai

Laudium