Cape Town traffic fines have skyrocketed, and in some instances are now more than double those imposed on Johannesburg motorists.
With traffic offenders having to fork out R1 000 for going through a red robot, R500 for overtaking on a solid line, double parking or disobeying a stop sign and R300 for talking on a cell phone, Ettiene Kleinhans, chief provincial inspector of Somerset West has stated that the days of traffic fines signalling a mere slap on the wrist have passed.
For the most part, these huge increases have been implemented to deter wealthier drivers and force them to be more vigilant. “In the past, for them to get a R100 or R200 fine meant nothing. But now, with fines of up to R1 000, you know they will think twice before disobeying a traffic rule.”
Unfortunately, these measures will also hit the poorer drivers.
Explaining the large discrepancies, Heathcliff Thomas, traffic co-coordinator for the City of Cape Town, said the traffic department had to justify to the magistrate why penalties for offences were at certain levels.
“For instance, going through a red robot causes serious collisions and the fine has to be high enough to deter such actions.”
Capetonians can breathe easier on the speeding topic, though. Where in Johannesburg you would have to pay R1 100 for doing 100 km/h in a 60km zone, in Cape Town the fine is R450.