On Saturday evening, on my way home from the Clifton Shores launch at Movida, I was pulled over in a roadblock…..exactly 1 block from my house.  As I knew I was driving I had been epically responsible with regards to my drinking, but the situation was stressful none the less.  I was subjected to a breathalyzer test for the first time in my entire life.  It’s scary, regardless of whether you had been drinking or not.  I “scored” a proud 0.00, but that’s not the point of this letter.

I’d like to compliment the officers who were part of that night’s roadblock.  They were extremely friendly, professional and calm.  They explained the process to me and even cracked a few jokes while I was waiting.  I was escourted back to my car by an officer as he was wearing a reflective vest and my car was on the other side of the road.  Kudos also to the two officers who handled a rather explosive and crappy situation very well.  Two other ladies had been pulled over and were quite obviously VERY drunk…their breathalyzer tests proved this…they were far over the limit.  They refused however to go quietly.  They were screaming and swearing at the poor officers who were really only doing their job…and I have to say that the fact that they remained absolutely calm and professional throughout was good to see.  There are still good cops out there.

It breaks my heart when all I hear about the force are negative things.  But what annoys me more are the people who complain most about the corrupt police officers and how corrupt our government is, are the same people who tell stories about bribing police officers to get out of fines and being arrested for drunk driving.  I’m sorry…if you partake in bribing to get yourself out of trouble when you actually rightfully deserve that trouble…then you are part of the problem..and you are no less corrupt than the police officer you paid the bribe to.  So my opinion on this: If you pay bribes in order to “get off” you have NO RIGHT to have an opinion on corruption in this country, for you are no better.

So here’s a high 5 to the awesome officers that manned the road block on saturday evening…you guys rocked!

Regards,
Ruby

I’ve noticed recently that there is some genuine confusion around the whole concept of driving.  What is it? What should you do? What shouldn’t you do? How should you do it? When should you do it?

So I’ve decided to set up a bit of a ‘Ruby’s tips to drivers’ list to guide you through the very basics.  Please, for the love of apple pie, USE IT!

1.  Driving is much the same as colouring in.  If you’re not purposefully changing lanes you need to stay in-between the lines

2.  Should you decide to change lanes, whether it be on the highway or while passing a slower moving vehicle, ALWAYS check your blind spot.

3.  If you’re the one screwing up and someone hoots…don’t be an ass and flip them the bird or shake your fist at them.  You’ve already acted like an idiot, a disarming gesture will be of better use.

4.  If someone gives you a gap.  Don’t, for the love of all things nice, take 5 minutes to take it or become all flustered.  Just GO GO GO.

5.  If the car in front of me is driving slowly, driving on my ass will NOT solve the problem.

6.  If I’m driving the speed limit or slightly over there is absolutely NO reason for you to be driving on my ass.  I have no obligation to move over to the slow lane if I’m keeping to the speed limit.  In fact, driving on my ass will probably ONLY cause me to slow down a little, or strategically make me hit the brakes for a milli- second to make you back off.

7.  That being said…if you’re not keeping up to the speed limit you have NO business driving in the fast lane of the highway and probably deserve someone driving on your ass…move over!

8.  Now, the cute little sign below shows you where your indicators are.  If you’re going to turn or change lanes…use them to INDICATE where you’re going.  It’s amazing how much less stressful driving becomes when all the people around you aren’t shouting at you for not indicating.

9.  If your lane is the one ending and you have to move into another lane…YOU DO NOT HAVE RIGHT OF WAY. The guy in the lane you’re moving to does.  So if there isn’t enough space you need to wait your turn.

10.  Aaaah….the infamous traffic circle.  People, it’s not that hard.  A circle is NOT a four-way stop.  In a circle you yield to the right.  This means that if the person on your right went over his yield line before you did you have to wait for him.  If you guys reach your lines at the same time and bearing in mind that you should BOTH be traveling at the speed limit, you should technically both be able to enter at the same time.  And for crying out loud…it is impossible to signal right in a traffic circle…if you do that means you have every intention of turning into the circle and causing severe damage to your car.  You have to exit the circle to you left and will therefore indicate to your left as you near your exit.

11.  A solid line on a two-way road means you are not allowed to pass as it is dangerous to do so.

12.  If you are driving on a truck’s ass the driver can not see you…not with all the blind spot and mirror checking in the world.

13.  Just because you drive a stupidly expensive car does not mean you own the road and everybody needs to get out of your way.

14.  Parents of little children –> I don’t care if your child is screaming blue murder because he/she hates sitting in the safety seat.  YOU are the parent.  Strap your child in.  It is incredibly dangerous to let a child stand on the back seat/front seat/sit on your lap/move around freely in the car.  If you love your child you will strap him/her in.  My first thought when seeing an unstrapped child in a car is –> you should be charged for negligence and put in jail.

15.  My safe little following distance is not an invitation for you to shove your big ass car right in front of me.  If I wanted to give you a gap it would be clearly visible.

16.  If someone clearly gives you a gap/helps you out of a jam/ moves slightly over the yellow line to let you pass more easily thank them.  You’d be surprise what a difference it makes.

17.  Do not even get me started on a set of rules for SA minibus taxi drivers.  I’ll be busy for the rest of my life and STILL not finish.

So my lovelies, there you have it.  Ruby’s list of helpful tips for South African drivers.  Please feel free to add any others you can think of:)

Love
Ruby
xxxxx