Out and about in Benoni on September 3, I came upon two police white Citi Golf vehicles with a learner driver at the wheel, an instructor and three uninformed passengers on the back seat.
The occupant sitting in the centre of the back seat in one car was a female officer with that hat, who must have totally obscured the learner driver’s rear view vision.
One of the cars stalled in front of me and when I eventually went around the vehicle, all the occupants were laughing away, including the learner driver who was not in uniform – and not wearing a seat belt.
On contacting the police college, I was told that this was normal practice to have a learner driver accompanied by so many passengers.
I cannot believe this is acceptable by law, as well as being a distraction and a possible safety hazard.
Surely, those extra officers could other wise be utilised with more meaningful community spirited activities.
Would someone please clarify this for me.
I remember when I was learning to drive a car – it was the instructor and me.
Another point, the municipality were fixing potholes at corner Eva and Sports roads in Fairleads.
There were eight operatives, both male and female, two sitting in the truck, four watching the remaining two working on the one porthole.
Is this normal practice?
Editor’s note:
Vusi Mabanga EMPD spokesperson responds:
It is against the law for a learner driver to carry passengers in a vehicle driven by him or her.
Only the supervisor/instructor is permitted to be with a learner driver in a vehicle, and must always be seated next to the learner driver for assistance.
The supervisor/instructor must have a valid driver’s licence of the same class or above the class of the motor vehicle driven by the learner driver.
