MOTORISTS WARNED NOT TO TRUST ILLEGAL POINTSMEN

With loadshedding, heavy rain and power outages all reasons for heavier-than-usual traffic, motorists have started to trust casual, and illegal, pointsmen to assist with traffic flow.

Eugene Herbert, CEO of MasterDrive, has warned motorists that the danger aspect is very high.

“It is extremely dangerous for untrained individuals to direct traffic in some of the busiest and most complex intersections in South Africa.”

He added that “official pointsmen and traffic officers receive training to safely direct drivers and decrease the risk of collision (and) illegal pointsmen have neither the training nor the authority to do the same”.

Putting your trust in the hands of an untrained person could mean your insurance claim could be denied. An illegal pointsman has no legal authority, so if such a person directs you, your insurer will still hold you responsible.

Herbert said the best way to approach an intersection where the traffic lights aren’t working is to go according to the rules of the road.

“Make the most informed decision possible with the understanding that intersections without working traffic lights should be treated as four-way stops if there is no official pointsman directing traffic.”

Image credit: Car Prices