The four way stop....

So tonight’s update is a rant. Simple as that. I am terribly disturbed and saddened about something and needed to share it.

Durban drivers. Yes I was once one of them but still felt pretty petrified when I approached a traffic light that was not working. You don’t know when to go or not. If you go you could get swiped by the car coming from the opposite side. If you don’t, the impatient idiot behind you hoots. It’s a no-win situation. Then I moved to JHB. 4 way stops and traffic circles work brilliantly and whilst it may cause more traffic to have one car go at a time, it is civilised, organised and basically, safe. Sure we have road rage and crazy taxi’s at times but when it comes to traffic lights that don’t work, everybody understands each others plight and consideration is the name of the game.

I bring this up now because a relative of mine was in a serious accident last week. He was going to fetch his wife from the airport and a traffic light was not working. Nobody knows what happened or whose fault it was, but he was hit from the front and the back. He is in a coma.

So it got me thinking about why people in Durban refuse to obey the laws of the road? Why is it that when there is a traffic light not working, drivers take it upon themselves to decide how many cars would go across had the traffic light been working? Absurd right? What makes a person think that their life is more important than others? Everyone has the same plight. We all want to get to work/school/campus/gym etc on time. So why not show any consideration for others? I think that it is times like these that should make people realise that patience is a virtue. If only Durban drivers would try the proper 4 way stop rule, I believe that road rage levels would drop and people would get to places much faster than having to wait for the opposite lanes to stop going so you can get a chance. I truly believe that drivers understand how a 4-way stop works but either too selfish or impatient to apply it. It’s appalling that the traffic police have not even intervened to eradicate the problem.

Just for reference I have included a little diagram of how 4 way stops should work. Please forward this to people who you think it would benefit. I think that it could change and save lives. See the picture above for the simple illustration of how it should work. In a 4 way stop situation the following should happen:
1) All cars coming towards the 4 way stop should stop at the line.
2) The first row of cars stopping at the line where the blue arrows are should go across.
3) Then the first row of cars that have stopped at the line where the red arrows are should go across.
4) And so on and so forth….

So it’s that simple. The purpose of this was not to insult, patronise or hurt anyone. I just hope to bring awareness about the seriousness of the situation.

May Allah grant Riaz shifa and grant his family the strength and courage to get through this difficult time. Ameen.