They struggled because motorists in and around Joburg were breaking the law and driving in emergency lanes.
While the traffic problems in Joburg are an issue which the City of Joburg is attempting to address, motorists who disobey the rules of the road need to take a good look at themselves.
This newspaper gets constant complaints about taxi drivers who disobey the rules of the road and are, quite frankly, a nuisance to many. Yet the same people who complain are often guilty of similar misdemeanours.
The fact that emergency personnel could not make their way quickly to one of the biggest tragedies Joburg has seen for a while because everyday motorists were blithely breaking the law is simply unacceptable.
Often when driving one hears sirens and watches ambulances struggling to navigate through traffic. What is interesting is that, a lot of the time, motorists do not respond to the urgency of the situation and fail to pull over to allow these emergency vehicles through.
The fateful tragedy of last week will live with many for a long time, and while there will, hopefully, be consequences for those responsible for the bridge collapse, motorists should also take some responsibility and learn from the incident.
Do not drive in the yellow lane.
You never know when something is going to happen and your actions could result in the loss of life. I am not saying that had the emergency vehicles been able to get to the scene quicker, lives would have been saved, but there is always the question of ‘what if’?
What if, next time, paramedics can’t get somewhere quickly enough? What if a motorist tries to take a shortcut and someone’s life gets put on the line.
If we, as motorists, can learn something from last week, it should be that we need to obey the rules of the road. They are, after all, there for a reason.
