Tourist questions traffic police over R60 speeding fine
Have you ever questioned a speeding fine issued by the traffic police on the spot?
A tourist from Australia shared how he was stopped and asked to pay a fine for going 98km/h in an 80km/h zone.
Damien Gibson, began recording when he was stopped by the traffic police while visiting in South Africa. He doesn’t specify where he was stopped, but many social media users assumed it was either Eswatini or the Eastern Cape.
When the traffic officer told Gibson to pay, Gibson got out of his vehicle but wasn't willing to take for granted that he was speeding. He questioned the traffic officer behind the camera. First, he asked where the 80km/h speed limit sign was and then began interrogating the officer with a list of questions.
Read more: What speed limit constitutes a fine in South Africa?
He asked how they recorded the speed limit, and the officer couldn’t show him his alleged recorded speed of 98km/h. Gibson used this as his excuse to avoid paying the R60 fine because he felt there was no proof.
The officer clearly communicated how things worked and said that motorists travelling over 80km/h have a grace speed until 85km/h. Motorists who go over 85km/h are stopped and must pay based on speed.
Gibson got off without paying the fine, but many people questioned whether he was wrong for assuming that the traffic officers had a ‘corrupt’ approach to his driving over the speed limit.
Watch the video below from Instagram.
Read more: Fake news: SANRAL not changing speed limits in July
According to the My Broadband website: “The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) driving laws provide motorists with some leniency regarding speed limits, allowing a 'tolerance' of 10km/h.
The 10km/h grace regarding South Africa’s speed limits is designed to avoid prosecutions for motorists going 2km/h to 3km/h above the speed limit, clogging up the legal system.”
This new system is set to roll out in December 2025 in 69 municipalities ready to implement it. Under the system, motorists travelling 11km/h or higher above the speed limit will be issued a speeding fine.
“For example, travelling between 11km/h and 12km/h above the 60km/h limit in an urban area will land you a R400 fine and one demerit point. Exceeding the limit by 13km/h to 14km/h will increase the fine to R600, but also attract only one demerit point, reports MyBroadband.
HOW TO LISTEN TO EAST COAST RADIO
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the FM (frequency modulation) spectrum between 94 and 95 FM on your radio.
- Listen live to ECR by clicking here or download the ECR App (iOS/Android).
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the DStv audio bouquet, channel 836.
- Switch to the audio bouquet on your Openview decoder and browse to channel 606
- Listen to us on Amazon Alexa.
Follow us on social media:
Image Courtesy of Instagram