Comments on: Traffic laws don’t apply to us. So say four Gauteng MECs http://www.m24i.co.za/2012/06/01/traffic-laws-apply-us-gauteng-mecs/ Media24 Investigations ... news that makes a difference Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:57:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Dennis Jackson http://www.m24i.co.za/2012/06/01/traffic-laws-apply-us-gauteng-mecs/#comment-122 Dennis Jackson Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:30:00 +0000 http://www.m24i.co.za/?p=1224#comment-122 “Four departments cited Section 60 of the National Road Traffic Act and claimed the same exemptions as those afforded to emergency workers.”
“Those that turned to this law were:-
Education, Community Safety, Local Government and Housing and Finance.”
I beg to differ…
Section 60 of the National Road Traffic Act No. 93 OF 1996 says:-
“The driver of a fire-fighting vehicle, a rescue vehicle or an ambulance who drive such vehicle in the performance of his or her duties, a traffic officer who drives a vehicle in the carrying out of his or her duties or any person driving a vehicle while engaged in civil protection as contemplated in any ordinance made in terms of section 3 of the Civil Protection Act, 1977 (Act No. 67 of 1977), may disregard the directions of a road traffic sign which is displayed in the prescribed manner:

Provided that-
(a) he or she shall drive the vehicle concerned with due regard to the safety of other traffic; and
(b) in the case of any such fire-fighting vehicle, rescue vehicle, ambulance or vehicle driven by a person while he or she is so engaged in civil protection, such vehicle shall be fitted with a device capable of emitting a prescribed sound and with an identification lamp, as prescribed, and such device shall be so sounded and such lamp shall be in operation while the vehicle is driven in disregard of the road traffic sign.”

NOWHERE does it make mention OR exemption for anyone else, JZ, a Minister, an MEC, or any other driver thereof, or chauffeur of the above, has any right to use a blue light and siren, or to break any speed limit, disregard any road sign, or robot, traffic signal or other, EXCEPT if directed to do so by an authorised police or traffic officer, to avoid any hazard or obstruction, thereafter to fully comply with the road rules and signs. This applies to all motorists irrespective!
Blue light bullies are illegal! – Period!

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