General speed limits are defined in the National Road Traffic Act, 1989 and its regulations.
Speed Limits and the Law
Speeds
- 60 km/h when driving on a public road in an urban area
- 100 km/h on a public road that isn’t a freeway in an urban area;
- Freeway speed limit: 120 km/h
A goods vehicle exceeding 9t in GVM has a speed limit of 80 km/h. A combination vehicle, consisting of a goods and vehicle (i.e. Drawing vehicle, one or more trailers and a drawing vehicle. A combination vehicle consisting of a goods vehicle (i.e.
It is also stipulated that certain vehicles (minibuses and buses, as well as goods vehicles) must not exceed the speed limits set by SABS 1550 or approved by the manufacturer.
Based on their brake capabilities, certain tractors, trailers or combination cars may not exceed 35 km/h or 15 km/h.
Road traffic signs can also set speed limits that may be lower than or higher than those on the road.
New proposals on Speed Limits
To better protect workers and transporters on bakkies, the Western Cape province government proposed changes to South Africa’s driving laws.
This comes after a similar accident last week that left 35 farm workers seriously injured and hospitalized. Andricus van den Westhuizen, DA’s Western Cape spokesperson for Agriculture, stated that a number previous recommendations had been made regarding the transportation of workers.
Stabilizing road traffic regulations, especially in rural and agri-worker transportation;
Open trucks that transport passengers within the province are subject to a speed limit of 80 km/h
Possible subsidy from the national government for rural public transport, which would allow bus services for agri-workers.
Van der Westhuizen stated that while the Western Cape Provincial Government tried to improve rural transport, traffic regulation is a national responsibility under the National Department of Transport.
“The ANC National Government should therefore seriously consider the above mentioned suggestions in an effort to improve safety protocols and conditions for farm workers.”
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Actual Speed limits
Road Traffic Management Corporation promotes a variety of interventions to reduce fatalities on South Africa’s roads, including speed limit changes.
The corporation presented a program to reduce speed in urban areas to parliament on Tuesday (15 February). This includes routes used by cyclists and schools. A presentation was also provided to indicate that the speed limit should drop from 60km/h onto urban roads to 50km/h and 120km/h onto major roads to 110km/h.
This follows a United Nations recommendation that all countries should reduce speed by 10 km/h in order to reduce fatalities.
The United Nations called for policymakers to take action to ensure that streets are maintained at a low speed, with speeds of 30 km/h (20 mph) so people can walk, live, and play.
The Department of Transport (DOT) and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), have already looked at a proposal for speed limits to be reviewed in South Africa. They are particularly focused on South Africa’s highways.
The proposal would reduce the speed limit on the nation’s roads by 20 km/h.
The speed limit for the country’s highways would be reduced from 120km/h down to 100km/h. Top speeds on main roads would fall from 100km/h up to 80km/h. The speed limit in residential areas would drop from 60 km/h to 40 km/h.
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