SA Traffic Rule: : In 2025, South Africa will be enforcing one of it’s strictest road safety measures, aiming at a more common but dangerous behavior among drivers. Starting next year, a fine of R5,000 will be issued to drivers using their mobile phones at stop lights, regardless of whether their vehicle is in motion or not.skipdegreecollege
Why Traffic Lights Are No Exception to the Phone Ban!
The new regulation seeks to answer the problem of drivers thinking that scrolling through their phones at a red light is acceptable. Traffic authorities want to remind us that even the smallest distraction at an intersection during the car’s idling phase can cause the vehicle to be unresponsive when lights change and quite a number of cars moving can create a risk of accidents.
This focus comes after many identified that the use of mobile phones while driving is one of the most common and frequent incidences of distraction, and danger to road safety, in all parts of South Africa. With the new regulation to curb vehicle usage while waiting for the traffic lights to change, authorities hope to rectify the safety concern.
Enforcement Strategy and Implementation
The enforcement of this new regulation will be a blend of conventional traffic police and technological traffic enforcement solutions.
Traffic authorities intend to use plainclothes officers to monitor compliance at busy intersections while setting up surveillance cameras.
As rewarding as it sounds, the finer reward carries the R5000 penalties. South African officials rather deemed it as enforcement of better construction of road behavior. Ensuring basic road and driver safety is the goal as the regulations seek to fundamentally change driver behavior and create lasting safety improvements.
Adapting to the New Reality and Partitioning Public was Reception!
Most South Africans disclaimed any form of acceptance to the new proposals. While a larger group of people accepted it, many were worried about how it impacts their finances. Lower-income drivers were of a bigger impact to the move as a section deemed it as unacceptable.
As a reaction to the regulation change, the drivers were advised to perform:
Install hands-free systems in their vehicles!
Use voice commands to issue text and voice commands to interact with them.
Minor power with engines in vehicles and enable ‘do not disturb during drive’ to automata
Make driving a habit to be goal with placing phone out of reach.
These occurs from an educational perspective and thus a change should be duly noted. The regulation change for South African drivers is a substantial improvement over previously established road regulations.
The measure supports international benchmarks that have proven to be effective in some countries that have encountered the same road safety problems.