Channel your road rage: be a traffic spy

 

31 MAY 2013 00:00 CHARLES LEONARD

It's quite easy to become a traffic impimpi. Charles Leonard tells you how you can become one.

There is an old joke about how easy it is to become a traffic cop.

"Give me any number between one and 10."

"Five?"

"Well done, the job is yours!"

Despite the poor public image of traffic officers, it is obviously much more difficult than that. But it is almost as easy as in the joke to become a traffic impimpi (spy), or voluntary public traffic observer (VPTO), to give the not so snappy official title.

You dial 0861400800, a number that belongs to the umbrella body for enforcement, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), get a form and register. If you do not have a criminal record and it is clear you're not just out to take revenge on, say, your ex or your boss, they give you a PIN number and then the revenge on the real bad drivers can start.

"If you see a bad driver you call in and give your PIN number," explains RTMC spokesperson Ashref Ismail. "You then need to give the vehicle's registration number and where and when the incident happened.

"Next we check on ­eNatis [the national vehicle licensing database] and post the bad driver a strongly worded letter. If they get reported repeatedly we will dispatch traffic officers and make sure appropriate steps are taken."

Even though the project was initiated by the department of transport back in 2003 and there are 6000 volunteers (about 1 000 are active), Ismail admits the scheme needs more publicity.

He says the RTMC is working on a relaunch in October during Transport Month and that by then there will be a properly-staffed call centre with sufficient IT to make sure the project functions properly.

"We get an average of 450 complaints a month," Ismail says. "It's about people jumping lights, kids not strapped in, drivers talking on cellphones, others overtaking on a solid line.

"We understand how that can annoy law-abiding drivers. With this project they can do something and avoid road rage."

People who get their kicks dressing up in uniforms will need to apply somewhere else. "It's anonymous, so no uniforms."

It has been effective, says Ismail, "especially where transgressors drive company cars. Some of our reports have led to full disciplinary hearings."

Ismail believes that, when functioning fully, the project will help to bring down the death toll on South African roads.

And don't we need anything that can help to reduce the carnage?

According to the International Transport Forum's road safety annual report for 2013, which was released earlier in May, South Africa fared the worst of the 36 countries polled, with 27.6 road deaths for every 100 000 inhabitants in 2011 (11228 fatal crashes resulting in 13954 fatalities). The lowest was the United Kingdom with 3.1 road deaths per 100 000 inhabitants.

The only other country with more than 20 deaths was Malaysia with 23.8. Other developing countries fared a lot better, with road deaths in Cambodia at 13.1 per 100 000 people, Jamaica at 11.3 for every 100 000 people and Columbia with 12 road deaths per 100 000 people.

"Seat belt use [in South Africa] has been compulsory in both front and rear passenger seats, except for older ... models that do not have rear seat belts," said the report. "However, the wearing rate is very low."

In addition to the human cost, road crashes cost the economy about R307-billion a year, the report says.

Charles Leonard is the news editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper.

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Traffic Services

The City’s Traffic Services arrested 33 motorists for drunk driving this weekend at roadblocks held across the city.

On Thursday 9 May 2013, two Traffic Officers in a Ghost Patrol vehicle were patroling the N2 at Mew Way in the direction of Cape Town, when a grey VW Golf with four persons in it came speeding up behind them. This vehicle was so close to them they could not see the vehicle’s number plate.

The Golf then overtook them at high speed, changing lanes and overtaking other vehicles in a manner that endangered other motorists. The Officers pursued the vehicle  and they managed to stop it at the R300.

When they stopped, the passenger of the Golf jumped out and threw a package over the side of the bridge, releasing some of the contents, later confirmed to be dagga. The driver then got out of the car and informed the Officers that he had a firearm on him.

The Officers recovered a licensed Norinco Star 9mm Pistol with eight rounds and a small amount of dagga. The suspects were arrested and taken to the Khayelitsha Police Station where a case of reckless or negligent driving and possession of dagga was opened against them for further investigation.

On Friday 10 May 2013, another 18 suspects were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol at a roadblock held on Vryburger Avenue, Bothasig. The highest breathalyser reading registered at 1.07mg of alcohol per 1000ml of breath.

On Sunday 12 May 2013, officers conducted an operation focusing on illegal drag-racing in the Sea Point and Bellville areas. Although the Sea Point area was very quiet, the Bellville South area was very busy, with about 200 illegal dragsters congregating at the Sasol garage in Belhar. The South African Police Services (SAPS) were very prominent and did not allow the illegal dragsters to settle down and begin racing.

Officers issued 1028 fines for various offences including:

• 5 vehicles suspended for not being roadworthy.
• 17 fines for talking on cell phone and 17 cell phones were impounded.
• 10 fines issued for disobeying red traffic lights.
• 10 fines issued for failure to display number plates.
• 2 fines were issued for wheel spinning.
• 365 speed offences were registered on Table Bay Boulevard, between Christiaan Barnard and Lower Church Street.
• 199 speed offences were registered on Helen Suzman Boulevard, between Portswood and Buitengracht Street (highest speed 109km/h)
• 280 speed offences were recorded on Vanguard Drive, between Zenith and Heideveld Roads (highest speed 140km/h)
• 111 speed offences were registered on Klipfontein Road between Loch and Vaal Road (highest speed 133km/h)

Also on Sunday, officers arrested 13 suspects for driving under the influence of alcohol at a roadblock held on Blaauwberg Road, between Popham and Marine Circle in Table View. The highest breathalyser reading registered at 0.75mg of alcohol per 1000ml of breath.

Traffic chief doesn't walk the talk

May 9 2013
By SOLLY MAPHUMULO

 

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INLSA

RTMC spokesman Ashref Ismail still has old number plates on his Land Rover. Photo: Brenton Geach

Johannesburg - Road Traffic Management Corporation spokesman Ashref Ismail – who has been vocal about speeding motorists – has outstanding traffic fines for speeding and drives a car with invalid number plates and an expired licence disc.

Displaying false number plates is punishable by a fine or a jail term of up to three years.

The Star can reveal that Ismail has eight traffic fines and owes the Traffic Department R6 500 in fines. Five of these are outstanding and were issued between March 2009 and 2012.

The traffic fines include speeding, driving an unlicensed vehicle and parking in an unauthorised area.

In October last year, Ismail got a speeding fine after he was caught travelling between 91km/h and 95km/h in a 60km zone.

In 2009, he was fined R15 560 for speeding after he was caught travelling between 96km/h and 100km/h in a 60km/h zone.

In April last year, he was issued with a R750 fine in Tshwane for travelling between 101km/h and 105km/h in an 80km zone.

Again in April, Ismail got another R1 000 fine for driving an unlicensed vehicle and another R250 fine for the same offence.

Earlier this year, Ismail said speeding and drinking and driving had contributed heavily to the more than 800 deaths that occurred on the roads during the festive season.

“Major contributory factors remain speeds too high for circumstances, especially at night and during inclement weather, drinking and driving, drinking and walking, and dangerous overtaking on barrier lines in the face of coming traffic,” Ismail had said.

Commenting on Ismail’s fines, Howard Dembovsky, national chairman of the Justice Project South Africa, said: “When any person purports to be an enforcer of traffic laws and a proponent of road safety, as is the case with Mr Ismail, who is in charge of road traffic law enforcement co-ordination at the RTMC, saying ‘do as I say, not as I do’ is disingenuous at best.”

“This is the same man who likes to point fingers at motorists, calling them lawless and saying they have no respect for traffic laws, yet he has eight outstanding Aarto infringement notices against his name, several of which are for speeding at speeds in excess of 20-30km/h over the speed limit,” he said.

In addition, he slammed Ismail for illegally displaying invalid number plates for his motor vehicle as well as a licence disk that expired “more than 43 days ago”.

Ismail’s personalised registration plates read ASHREFGP, while his previous licence number was BD55CJGP.

Ismail said he was a motoring enthusiast and a collector of old, vintage cars and had five of them.

“If there are any fines that have been accumulated, either by the previous owner/s, myself or any of my family members, I am not aware of them.

“I will check what fine for which vehicles are outstanding, and if there are any traffic fines that are against my name that I or my family members are responsible for, (they) will be settled,” he said.

He said the Land Rover was purchased secondhand from a dealer in the south of Joburg in February.

“I requested to have my old personalised plates installed as soon as I had a chance to do so. The car is parked in the RTMC basement (which is where your informer would have seen it) and is not in use until I have had the chance to collect and install the plates,” he said.

But sources told The Star that the vehicle had been going in and out of the basement for the past three months.

“Ashref has been driving that vehicle. It’s not true that he parks it in the basement,” an insider told The Star.

“South Africa’s laws apply to everyone, not just people Mr Ismail chooses to point his finger at,” Dembovsky said.

A traffic officer, who did not want to be named, said displaying an invalid number plate was misleading and amounted to fraud.

“He should be arrested for displaying false number plates. Once you get a personalised number plate, you forfeit the previous one.”

The shareholder committee of the RTMC wants the agency, which manages the country’s roads, to shut down, saying it failed to “fulfil its purpose” in the past 10 years. But the cabinet will have the final say on the matter.

solly.maphumulo@inl.co.za

The Star

Probe after motorist killed by cop

May 6 2013 at 10:27am
By Caryn Dolley

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FACEBOOK

Kyle Weideman had apparently driven through a red traffic light prompting the officer to follow him and pull him over in the Brackenfell area.

Cape Town - A suspected drunk driver was fatally shot by a traffic officer who was driving him to the Kraaifontein police station and who he apparently attacked on the way there - resulting in the shot being fired.

Kyle Weideman, 22, who, according to his Facebook profile, had studied civil engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in Bellville, died early on Saturday. He had apparently driven through a red traffic light prompting the officer to follow him and pull him over in the Brackenfell area.

On Sunday, provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said the officer, a member of the provincial department, had taken Weideman to the Shadow Centre along Vanguard Drive in Athlone where a sample of his blood was taken to see if he had been driving under the influence of alcohol. Africa said the officer had planned to take Weideman to the Kraaifontein police station.

The traffic officer and Weideman had been alone in the vehicle. Africa said, according to information gathered so far, Weideman had started assaulting the officer while he was driving on the N1 highway near Cape Gate Shopping Precinct.

Police spokesman Andre Traut said the officer arrested Weideman around 5.30am at the Okavango off-ramp on the N1 in Brackenfell.

Traut’s information about where the incident happened differed from Africa’s in that Traut said during his arrest, Weideman had attacked the officer.

“The suspect stabbed the traffic officer with a sharp instrument whereafter the suspect was shot and fatally wounded by the officer.”

He said the circumstances surrounding the incident were being probed. A death inquest docket had been registered.

On Weideman’s Facebook page, it said he had graduated in 2010 and worked at Haw and Inglis, a construction company.

Under favourite quotations, it said: “Stick 2 wat is right (sic).”

Condolence messages were posted on a relative’s page. Nico October posted on his page: “Rest In Peace Kyle, my cousin. I am missing you so much! Not even a chance to say goodbye breaks me the most.”

On Saturday, he posted “in total shock” and explained to a Facebook friend it was because of the death of his cousin.

* On Sunday, Africa said 12 roadblocks were held on Friday and another 12 on Saturday. He said 2 087 vehicles had been stopped, 883 drivers were tested for alcohol and of these 37 drunk drivers were arrested.

Africa said when it came to speeding, a 40-year-old woman from Cape Town driving a BMW 5 Series was arrested yesterday between Aberdeen and Beaufort West for driving at 188km/h in a 120km zone.

She was detained in the Beaufort West police station and was expected to appear in a court there on Monday.

caryn.dolley@inl.co.za

Cape Times