Careless and dangerous driving is increasing rapidly in South Africa…

The Minister of Transport is lifting up her handbrakes, stepping on her clutch and putting her gear into park. Unhappy with South African statistics on road deaths, accidents, drunk driving, speeding, traffic offenses and driving without a license, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has announced her 2017 new year’s resolutions to amend Regulation 250, to be implemented on the 11th of May 2017.

The newly proposed 2017 South African driving and road regulations will include:

• A practical re-evaluation upon license renewal.
• Retaking the K53 test upon license renewal.
• Reduce speed limits: 40 km/h in Urban areas; 80 km/h in Rural areas; 100 km/h on freeways traveling through residential areas.
• Bakkies will not be allowed to transport children from the back of the vehicle: Under ‘Regulation 250’, school children and other persons cannot be transported for reward in a vehicle’s ‘goods compartment’ – unless done in terms of the NLTA.
• The Bakkie’s load bay will no longer be able to carry more than 5 passengers.
• Heavy-goods vehicles must display a ‘100’ limit sticker.
• Goods vehicles weighing more than 9000 kg GVM can no longer travel during morning and evening peak times.

Justice Project South Africa’s Howard Dembovsky, however, clears up the Minister of Transport’s error in the amendment of the ‘’transportation of persons in the back of Bakkies’. Dembovsky confirms that transporting individuals in the goods compartment for reward will be legalised, provided that the driver applies for and pays the Department of Transport for a permit to do so. There is also no law about the maximum amount of people conveyed in the goods compartment, as mentioned previously by the Minister of Transport.

Now is your time to start making responsible driving decisions on the road and dig back into your K53 knowledge.