the corner office

There was an awful accident on the N1 south tonight between the Hans Strydom and Beyers Naude offramps and I got there pretty soon after it happened. I sat in traffic for about half an hour before getting past it, and it freaked me the hell out. I don't know what happened (unlike some accursed rubber-neckers, no doubt), but as I was waved past I could see that a red car had smashed straight into the side of a taxi, in the middle lane of the highway. It looked like it was a pretty high speed collision. As they say in the classics, the taxi was well and truly fscked, and the red car didn't look much like a car anymore.

One of the taxi's wheels was lying against the barrier about 50 metres down the road. Maybe it wasn't the taxi's fault, but I think I'm covered by the law of probabilities in suspecting that the taxi tried to turn across the highway, or lost a wheel (or control) and swerved in front of the red car.

While I was waiting in the traffic jam, I saw four ambulances and I don't know how many police and emergency response cars racing past us. Driving past the actual accident, there were even more ambulances, fire engines, there must have easily been 10 or more Metro Police cars blockading the scene.

The cops really pissed me off. I can't help but ask myself where these useless traffic 'enforcement' officers are when taxi drivers are flagrantly and aggressively breaking the law? Maybe my anger is misplaced, but if it is, probably not by much. But I also have plenty of ire to spare for local politicians who're also full of shit. I'm so sick of hearing about industry regulation and upgraded behemoth buses and blah blah frigging blah when it comes to taxi drivers. Here's a novel idea: start enforcing the traffic laws that are already there. Make sure traffic officers do their jobs and give them the clout they need to make people take them seriously. Fine taxi drivers for the slightest traffic infringement, impound unroadworthy vehicles and arrest taxi drivers who haven't paid their fines. Hit them where it hurts - their potential to generate income. This isn't a hard concept, surely.

Not that your average non-taxi driver makes much of an effort to obey the rules of the road either, but starting off with taxis would probably halve our road death toll in no time.

I was planning a longer rant, but I see that Wayne's had a bit to say about this kinda stuff as well.