Watch: Helderkruin motorists total disregard for traffic laws

Motorists blatantly ignoring stop signs at an intersection in Helderkruin have been caught on camera by a concerned resident.

Frans Badenhorst said he walks his dogs in the area daily and usually has an action camera with him. “I became aware of the fact that motorists do not adhere to the most basic of traffic rules at the corner of Ouklip and Sonderend Streets – stopping at a stop sign,” Badenhorst said.

Watch the video he sent us here:

He said that the main reason for his concern is the talk about changing some of the traffic laws. “They want to penalise law-abiding motorists by lowering speed limits and having to be re-tested when renewing your driver’s licence. I feel that this would not change the attitude of the motorists if they can just carry on breaking a very basic traffic rule. I believe that, if one feels it is okay to ignore a stop sign, the same attitude might also apply to other traffic rules and regulations. And to me, that is the main reason for the unacceptably high accident rate and death toll on our roads,” he said.

Badenhorst did not only take the video footage but – according to him – he has reported this matter to the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) on several occasions too, with no success. He said he believes strongly that if the authorities would enforce the law and act against the perpetrators in an instance like this, it might just be the first step to solving the larger problem.

“The three-way stop was put up at this intersection as a traffic calming measure in an effort to prevent further accidents and deaths in Ouklip, but it is senseless if nobody adheres to it,” he said.

The Record contacted Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar, spokesperson for the JMPD, about this matter. He urged residents who witnesses something like this to report it to the Regional Commander in order to have it addressed. “The commander for Region C is Deputy Director Mike Smith, and people can report instances like this to him by sending an email to mikesm@joburg.org.za. This way, officers can be sent to the problem area to address the matter,” Minnaar said.

Deputy Director Smith was also contacted for comment, but at the time of publication, we had not received his feedback.

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