According to the Ministry of Transport, there were 845 roadblocks across the country over the 2014 festive season, and it can be easy for people to find themselves unintentionally on the wrong side of the law.

First National Bank’s (FNB) Law on Call makes your legal affairs a priority all year round and encourages clients and the general public to know their rights this festive season. Head of FNB’s Law on Call, Tertius Bossert gives the following tips on your rights when you get stopped at a roadblock.

*Getting stopped at a roadblock:
“When you are stopped at a roadblock, the law enforcement officer will ask you for your personal details, of these you are obliged to give your name and address. Similarly, you are entitled to ask an officer for proof of identity,” Bossert said. You may not be arrested for any outstanding traffic fines, if there is no warrant of arrest for the fines. However, if you have given the officer cause to arrest you, it is not advisable to resist arrest.

* If you are arrested:
“If the officer arrests you; he is required to read you your rights immediately, and he must take you directly to a police station, nowhere else,” Bossert explained.

Depending on what you are arrested for, you will have the right to apply for bail at the police station. The FNB Law on Call Contact Centre is available 24/7. Should you find yourself in this predicament they will try to arrange bail telephonically for you, this is provided that ‘after hours’ bail can be granted for the offence that you have been arrested for. If ‘after-hours’ bail is not granted to you, you have the right to be brought before a court within 48 hours of your detention.
Bossert also suggested that motorists take time to familiarise themselves with the laws of the country and the bylaws of their cities or towns, especially regarding drinking and driving, unpaid speeding or traffic fines and even smaller matters like the use of fireworks.

The FNB Law on Call Centre can be contacted on 087 736 7773. Getting yourself out of a police station is not a complicated process, however quality legal advice can go a long way in ensuring you’re never alone when an unexpected legal matter arises.

Ensure that you enjoy yourself within the limits of these laws this festive season.