“Road Safety Is Vital”: Internet Questions Whether SAPS Van Was Breaking Road Rules in Video

• A video captured a SAPS van swerving in the road, sparking public debate on police driving rights
• Speaking to Briefly News, a traffic expert clarified that police can bypass road rules under specific conditions during emergencies
• Social media users expressed mixed reactions, questioning the officer's actions and road safety

A motorist in Durban filmed a South African Police Service (SAPS) van swerving out of the lane and trying to overtake vehicles as cars came from the opposite direction. It made many question whether the driver, an officer of the law, was within his rights.

TikTok user Kuveshan Pillay, who shared the video on his account, added an audio over the video, so it is unclear whether the police officer was blaring the sirens, and the emergency lights are also not clearly seen. However, the van was transporting detainees at the back.

Briefly News spoke to a former traffic official, who explained that there are certain circumstances when police officers are allowed to drive in such a manner, and it is legislated in the National Road Traffic Act.

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The source continued:

"However, the driver of the emergency vehicle may disregard road signs, but under strict conditions that it is done in execution of their duties, it is done with consideration to road safety, and the emergency light and sirens are used during this."

Watch the TikTok video below:

South Africans question SAPS van driver

Several social media users took to the comment section to express their opinions about the video that appeared on their For You Pages.

@regardtduvenage stated in the comments:

"He doesn't have the right to drive like that unless it was an emergency."

@sifundog told the public:

"That's a SAPS vehicle. It is categorised as an emergency vehicle, and citizens should give the right of way. I can't tell if sirens were on/off herein."

@waynesobey21 jokingly remarked:

"The KFC drive-thru was closing in 10 minutes."

@user1872031617119 claimed in the comments:

"He was a taxi driver before."

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@the_promise_of_allah added for the online community to see:

"The truck and the Mercedes-Benz were wrong; they should let the police van pass."

@sir.victor360 thought the driver was in the wrong and said:

"Road safety is vital."

@bongyjobes wrote under the post:

"It's not right, not unless they are responding with blue lights on and a siren, or maybe due to faults on those things, they can improvise by using hazards."

3 Other stories about drivers on the road

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a woman in Cape Town filmed a taxi driver reaching out of his window and deliberately bending her side mirror. She shared that she felt targeted because she was in the driver's way.
• The KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC warned against dangerous driver stunts following the viral video of a motorist who was filmed driving and dancing outside his vehicle at the same time.
• A female truck driver turned heads on social media platforms after showing off her impressive reversing skills in a heavy-duty pink Volvo EEV500. She made it look easy, and the internet was completely in awe.

Source: Briefly News