Illegal rescue vehicles allegedly on the road
Well-known companies accused of not complying with applicable licensing laws.
An insider in the local private emergency services is claiming that certain local companies in the industry are not complying with the laws pertaining to the licensing of rescue vehicles and ambulances.
Once again, these allegations are also made against certain towing companies who also have medical ‘scene assist vehicles’.
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According to Werner Vermaak of ER24, in an answer to a query elsewhere, the following procedures have to be followed in order to obtain the privileges that come with using red siren lights:
1. All vehicles have to be registered as rescue vehicles/ emergency vehicles or ambulances with the Department of Transport
2. A vehicle can be registered as a specialised vehicle after it has obtained its normal roadworthy and licence.
3. Once a vehicle is on the system, the vehicle will be fitted with an emergency warning system, etc. (An ambulance with a specialised conversion needs to have the SABS certificate of conversion ready as well.)
4. The vehicle will then go through another roadworthy test and be listed as an emergency vehicle before it can be registered as such.
But, said the complainant, there are at least three companies operating in Roodepoort that do not adhere to these requirements, with some of their rescue vehicles only having regular roadworthies and licenses, and not those issued after being registered with the Department of Transport.
One can only speculate about why these companies would break the law – is it to have more vehicles on the road covering a larger area and in the case of towing companies to get to the accident scene faster because they are using red lights and are allowed to drive faster than the normal stipulated speed? In a suburban area, the speed limit can be exceeded by 20km/h, while on the highway or in rural areas, emergency vehicles may travel 40km/h faster than normal. They can then, under the guise of medical rescue vehicles, also claim the vehicle/s involved in the accident for towing purposes.
The complainant also said that he knows that the Krugersdorp Metro Police are strict about the matter, but that the JMPD “does not really police the matter”.
The Record is in the process of obtaining comment from the JMPD spokesperson and other relevant parties.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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