'Punch a taxi driver in the face' - day

They hoot, they swerve, they shout, they speed, they overload and they multiply, but can they actually drive? Legally, that is. Taxi drivers in South Africa are the excrement under my shoe. They dispel any concern for etiquette on the roads and cause drivers unnecessary anxiety and road rage. They pack their Toyota “busses” far past their capacity and drive without concern for the lives on board or surrounding. Their negligence is the source of so many traffic accidents yet they continue to pursue their aspiration of being the most inept drivers on the road.

Yesterday, my father was cycling in Port Elizabeth along the beachfront. This is something he does regularly, being the fitness junkie he is. He probably left the house that day expecting to get some exercise under his belt with the added bonus of catching some fresh air. He wouldn’t have given much thought to the possibility of being assaulted by a taxi. He should have, however. While cycling along the side of the road, a delinquent taxi driver decided, in his mindless haste, to swerve (as they do) into my dad. Their intention was unclear but taxi drivers can’t be held capable of actual thought. My dad was knocked off his bike and fell to the ground landing with his arm under the taxi.

Luckily the taxi driver stopped before he could do more damage, got out his vehicle and helped my dad to his feet, all the while apologising profusely. If that sounds fabricated, it’s because it is. Taxi drivers don’t stop. They probably don’t know how to. So, over my dad’s arm he drove, completely oblivious to the destruction left in his wake. Luckily a driver (with a license) saw the incident unravel and stopped to assist my injured father. Apparently the taxi was inches away from murder.

So what’s to be done now? Do you go to the police? Do you get the insurance details of the taxi driver? Do you act surprised when you find out the taxi driver can’t even spell insurance?

Taxi drivers are traffic menaces. But we can’t blame them since they don’t know how to drive. If you were to place a 7 year old child in the driver’s seat, hand them the keys and tell them to “go wild”, you’re asking for an accident to happen. But, do you blame the child? No, children don’t know any better. You blame the person who allowed them get behind the wheel. This government is beyond help when it comes to the leniency with taxis in this country. They are always too full, too fast and too reckless. But, they provide transport for the masses so they can be justified as being ‘necessary’. Another thing that can be justified as a ‘necessity’ would be drivers having obtained a legitimate driving license. Also, justice could be thrown in there, but who am I kidding.