An unsettling incident on the N1 in Limpopo has again brought blue light brigades under scrutiny, after a motorist says he was forced off the road, despite an open third lane.

The motorist, Ruan de Ridder – a Caxton Local Media journalist and digital support specialist, was driving from Polokwane to Pretoria on Sunday. Near the Carousel Plaza, just before the road widened from two lanes to three, he noticed a vehicle with a blue light tailgating him. The vehicle was transporting children in the backseat.

De Ridder says he signalled to the driver that he could not move over because there was a vehicle to his left.

Also read: AA slams blue-light brigades as ‘menace and shameful blight’ on SA’s roads

Even though the highway widened into three lanes just a few metres ahead, De Ridder alleges that the blue-light vehicle went past him and then veered towards his car. “I had to brake, otherwise he would have hit me – it was close.”

De Ridder breathed a sigh of relief when the driver moved into the third lane. Panic returned, however, when a second blue light vehicle allegedly forced him from the middle lane into the left lane and then onto the gravel at the side of the road.

“He almost hit me twice. If I hadn’t braked hard, we would have crashed.”

De Ridder believes the drivers checked his car for a dashcam, and once they saw he didn’t have one, their driving became aggressive.

More red about blue

Although De Ridder, as the sole occupant of the car, was unable to record the incident, he has obtained footage of other vehicles displaying blue lights driving on the N1 on the same day – more towards the Pretoria side. The video shows what appears to be speeding and driving in the middle lane. De Ridder handed the footage to the police for investigation.

When asked about the vehicles seen in the video, police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Mukhathi confirmed they were state vehicles, noting that authorised vehicles can have various number plate formats. He advised motorists who encounter vehicles displaying blue lights to always give right of way. However, if they suspect a driver is taking chances, they should record the vehicle’s number plate and contact their local police station, where officers can quickly verify whether it is officially registered to the state.

Video here:

What the law says

In response to queries from Caxton Network News, national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe explains the legal authority and duties of drivers of vehicles fitted with blue lights.

She says police officials are authorised, in terms of regulation 176(3) of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000, to operate a vehicle fitted with a lamp emitting a blue light. “However, the use of sirens, blue lights or emergency warning lights does not justify a claim to the right of way or an excuse for contravening traffic laws. A driver of a state vehicle must drive in such a manner that accidents are prevented as far as reasonably possible, know the traffic rules, and drive courteously.”

She adds that the law prohibits reckless or negligent driving, ‘defined as driving in wilful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property’.

Regarding the responsibilities of other drivers, Mathe notes that a driver of a vehicle is required to give an immediate and absolute right of way to a police vehicle displaying a blue light or sounding a siren.

She clarifies that any allegation of wrongdoing by a police official may be reported to the relevant commander, such as the station commander, or to external oversight bodies like the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.

However, De Ridder says he made three calls to the SAPS National Complaint Centre (080 033 3177) and was sent from pillar to post without a clear indication of where to report the incident.

Lawlessness in Limpopo

Beyond the blue light incidents, De Ridder says his journey was made more stressful by impatient drivers at three of the four toll gates on the route – Kranskop, Nyl and Carousel. Some motorists drove onto gravel or over yellow lines to cut ahead in the toll queues.

Caxton Network News spoke to Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety public relations manager Matome Moremi-Taueatsoala about the lawlessness at the toll gates.

“Our officers are trying by any means. Policing is happening, but under very difficult conditions,” he says, noting that motorists often do not co-operate, even when reprimanded. This happens week in, week out, he adds, urging motorists to comply with traffic rules.

He notes that toll gates sometimes open all lanes to ease congestion, but speeding often becomes a problem once drivers pass the booths, as they try to make up lost time.

Moremi-Taueatsoala urges the public to report lawless driving to the department’s 24-hour toll-free number (0800 006 694) or its 24/7 control centre (015 295 1022). He says that by doing so, the department can dispatch extra teams to assist, as traffic often builds up earlier than anticipated.

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