Okay, baby, can you really drive your car?

So, you think you can drive a car…? Like in really, really drive a car?

Ashruf Ismail from Fleetmax Africa (Pty) Ltd delivered a stinging rebuke to all the drivers of South Africa in Dundee today when he pointed out the opposite.

I went to this lecture with the idea of quickly getting an overview of what this was all about, and then get out of there, but I ended up listening in mute fascination for over three hours.

Without getting into the detail of how many drivers buy their way through testing stations and end up with drivers licences that are not worth the plastic it was printed on, he went on to enlighten the small meeting of how dire the situation on our roads really are.

There are only 17 000 traffic law enforcement officers on the road in this country, trying to police the carnage on the road that is responsible for up to 35 deaths daily.

The duly processed battery of pictures, depicting death and destruction, inflicted by careless and negligent driving, only underscored the message. The hidden cost of this mindless carnage runs to over R300 billion per year. That includes retraining, insurance, repairs, etc.

Now, what can South Africans do to rein in this coldblooded monster? The answer is actually far less complicated than you may think. Check your mindless stupidity at the door of your car when you get in, and SLOW DOWN. Is your car in a condition to do what is required of it? How well do you know your car? Do your brakes work?

Are your tyres in a roadworthy condition? Are your seatbelts functional? Do you use them? Do you know what will happen to you if an airbag deploys in your face and you are not buckled up? Are you actually able to control your car, or is it too powerful for your capability?

We are clueless to the dangers of high-speed driving
Anybody in Dundee who will take the time to monitor local driving habits will find out that we have no idea of safe following distances, we have no idea how to correctly negotiate a traffic circle, we are clueless to the dangers of high speed driving in built up areas, and we have simply no idea how to assess and deal with potential hazards that may present themselves to us on the road.

Overtaking on a solid line, while approaching blind rises, or at other inappropriate places, without taking possible consequences in mind, are at the order of the day. In fact, and I have said this before, at least 75 % of all motor vehicle drivers in this country simply do not belong behind the wheel of a car. We have a highly overdeveloped sense of our own immortality, and we step into overt warfare with each other when we venture on our roads.

How would you apply your brakes if you are approaching a static hazard in the road at night speed? Do you know what cadence braking means? Do you know what over and understeer is, and how to deal with it, or are you simply going to skid off the road and hope you do not die in the roll? How would you deal with a left or a right front blow out at high speed?

Do you clutch when approaching an intersection, and let your car run in neutral, or do you brake first, before clutching?

The course was attended by only about 30 people, most of whom were women. Anybody who wants to get to know more about this material, or wants to get in touch with Ashruf, can contact the Courier newspaper at 034-218 2534, or send an email to dundee.courier@caxton.co.za.