Jamaican in Joburg- Zakiya Mckenzie

South Africa is the fourth country that I have called home, so it follows that I have sat in traffic all over the world.

Route taxis follow the same code everywhere in my experience, that is, NO code. Simply get from point A to point B as quickly and as dangerously as possible it seems. A Johannesburg taxi ride though proved far more unnerving than anywhere else that I’ve been.

Now, as a driver, whenever I see a taxi speeding unnecessarily in my rear view mirror it is equally as daunting.

All too common we hear of taxi fatalities and sadly we lost a co-worker in one of them recently.

Oddly enough, in Jamaica these taxis are called “robots” (we actually call traffic lights “traffic/stop lights”) probably because of the brainless way they drive.

But taxis alone are not to be blamed for reckless driving. Perched high in a taxi I got to peer into people’s cars. It is astounding how many drivers are texting when they should be focusing on the road. Coupled with the fact that manual cars are the order of the day in Mzansi while I was used to automatic driving in the Americas, too often I saw people’s hand and eyes glued to a screen when they should have been on wheel and gear stick.

Here’s a test: next time you see someone driving as if they’re in space, firstly get away from them. Then take a look, it’s probably someone too busy with their phone to care about responsible driving.