• Security guards, car guards, and civilians acting as points-people may do more harm than good.
• This is because motorists involved in an accident that occurs may have no legal recourse in the event of a collision.
• Regardless, the AA advises that motorists follow their guidance while remaining cautious at intersections.

Loadshedding during peak-hour traffic is a recipe for a headache. The lack of electricity can turn what is ordinarily a 15-minute commute into a 30-minute slog where pedestrians and cyclists pass you by.

While authorities should be deployed to busy intersections during power outages, the Automobile Association (AA) of South Africa points out that there simply aren’t enough traffic officials.

“In 2019, a government-appointed task team – the Traffic Law Enforcement Review Committee – found that the country requires double the number of traffic officials than what it currently has, and the lack of traffic law enforcers during rolling blackouts emphasises that need,” the AA writes.

The lack of officials at busy intersections has lead to folks including car guards, security guards, and even ordinary civilians taking up the mantle of unofficial traffic marshal. While admirable, this could prove to be a problem should an incident happen while these folks are directing traffic.

This is because should an incident occur, there is no legal recourse for those involved in the incident because – to put it plainly – these folks aren’t official traffic marshals.

Beyond these, the fact that a person who isn’t part of the authorities is directing traffic creates confusion.

“It is impossible for one motorist to ignore these instructions; this would cause chaos when other drivers are complying. This situation requires urgent intervention by traffic authorities who, in many cases, are simply nowhere to be seen when traffic lights go down,” the AA adds.

The association notes that traffic officials are too often preoccupied with conducting roadblocks rather than helping the flow of traffic. While roadblocks are a necessary function of law enforcement, the importance must be weighed against the need for the safety of motorist and free flowing traffic.

“If resources are too thinly spread, the deployment schedules of traffic law enforcers must be revisited, and priority must be given to addressing problems caused by rolling blackouts instead of checking for expired discs and licences. We again call on the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), and the national and provincial Departments of Traffic to ensure such an approach is implemented countrywide as a matter of urgency,” the association writes.

Authorities ought to be checking loadshedding schedules and deploying officers to high traffic areas during outages.

When encountering unofficial traffic marshals, the AA advises that motorists follow their guidance while remaining cautious. Check how other drivers are behaving before moving forward and do your best to avoid becoming the reason behind a collision. Remember to treat intersections as a four-way stop and be vigilant while travelling in areas without power.

[Image – Nabeel Syed on Unsplash]