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The Automobile Association of South Africa has once more raised concern about the actions of so-called “blue light brigades”, which it said poses a threat to road users.
Spokesperson, Eleanor Mavimbela, said in a statement on Tuesday that the presence of blue light brigades appears to be increasing with these high-speed motorcades now an almost daily occurrence on Gauteng highways.
She said the drivers of these vehicles transporting politicians behave aggressively towards other motorists.
Mavimbela noted the 2023 assault of three motorists on the N1 highway in Johannesburg by protection officers as a “good example” of how they respond to other motorists.
“The message from these official personnel is that their passengers are more important than other road users, and that the public must simply yield or face personal attack,” she said.
The AA said it has raised concerns for many years about these blue light motorcades, but that little seems to be done to curb their outrageous behaviour.
“Repeated calls for proper oversight of the VIP unit’s operations have clearly fallen on deaf ears.
“The unit’s members continue to act with impunity, often considering other road users a menace instead of, rightfully, citizens they need to protect and serve.
“We receive many complaints from our members and the public about how these motorcades force them off the road and barge their way through heavy traffic – especially during peak traffic hours in the morning and afternoon,” Mavimbela said.
She said the AA was again appealing to principals being escorted to make it clear that they expect the highest levels of professional and ethical behaviour from their support staff.
"Allowing these officers to act the way they do sends a message to the public that they are above the law, which they are not.”
She said while Section 58(3) of the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA) permits drivers of emergency vehicles such as traffic officers and duly authorised drivers, including “person appointed in terms of the SAPS Act to disregard the directions of a road traffic sign displayed in the prescribed manner in the execution of their duties.
Furthermore, regulation 176 of the NRTA further states that drivers on the road are supposed to give an absolute right of way to a vehicle sounding a device or bell of displaying an identification lamp.
“However, we contend that any driver who drives recklessly or is careless about the safety of other users on the road should be held liable for gross negligence where they pose a threat to property or another person whether they are driving a politician, delegate, VIP, or a car fitted with a blue light, just like any other road user.
“In fact, driving recklessly so a principal can be on time for a meeting does not constitute an emergency for the rest of the motoring public and it is shameful to think or act otherwise,” she concluded.
