Overloaded vehicle stopped in TBZ

THABAZIMBI – An overloaded bakkie, travelling from Durban to Malawi, was pulled over by the Thabazimbi Traffic Department on Sunday afternoon, 24 November and escorted safely to their test grounds.

The vehicle, heaped with furniture, equipment and other household items, failed to comply with the maximum height as prescribed by the national traffic laws. The baggage almost excelled the 4m mark, thus making the vehicle unroadworthy and unsafe to be on the public roads.

The owner of the vehicle had to make other transport arrangements for his baggage. According to a Thabazimbi traffic officer, Jacky Mamome, the driver received various traffic tickets, ranging from R1500 per ticket, on his way to Thabazimbi, but should’ve been removed from the road altogether.

The Department of Transport, in conjunction with provincial traffic authorities, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial research (CSIR) has drafted the National Overload Strategy to address the problem of overloaded vehicles.

Overloading is a safety hazard that leads to unnecessary loss of life, and also the rapid deterioration of our roads, resulting in increased maintenance and transportation costs.

Overloading is illegal, posing various risks, ranging from unstable steering, blow-outs, diminished driver’s control, difficulty to overtake, brakes that overheat, suspension that give away and higher maintenance costs.

Report local overloaded vehicles on 083 687 1883.

Kwêvoël Newsroom: Estie Taljaard estie@kwevoel.co.za

This overloaded vehicle was stopped in Thabazimbi on Sunday afternoon, after travelling from Durban.