Cape Town – Following an incident that happened on the N1 inbound in Paarden Eiland in Cape Town this past week where a truck carrying expensive vehicles got stuck under the bridge, South African drivers have been urged to “get back to basics”.
The truck was seen carrying a number of expensive cars and looked as though it would be able to clear the overpass bridge but a Mercedes G-Wagon got stuck at the front of the bridge, causing the accident.
Alderman JP Smith was outspoken about the incident and took to his personal Facebook account, saying that drivers needed to be reminded about road rules and safety.
“A truck is stuck below a bridge on the N1 inbound, at Paarden Eiland, despite the bridge clearly indicating the minimum clearance height required. From light passenger vehicles to heavy freight transport, is South Africa seeing a decrease in driver competence on our roads? Is it the result of decreased enforcement over the years or the result of that of fraudulent licenses been issued?
“Even with a simple road rule covered in the K53 Learners License test: “Keep left, pass right.”
On any road with at least 2 lanes, including highways and freeways, motorists should always keep to the left and only use the right hand lane when overtaking.
“But so often, slower vehicles can be seen idling along on the right, causing a backlog of irate drivers behind them. South Africa needs to get back to the basics, but what if not all drivers understand what the basics really are?
“<update> The initial report received was inaccurate, official have confirmed the vehicle carrier did not make contact with the bridge but instead drove through extremely slowly. This indicates a precise awareness of the load height versus the clearance height, and must be applauded by the actual driver.
“Such bridge collisions sadly, are a regular occurrence elsewhere, such as in Muizenberg, albeit mostly with smaller style goods vehicles. Despite numerous warning signs and signaling devices before the bridge.
This still promotes the same questions raised previously, affecting the basic rules of the road.”
