Beating the speed laws: What speed gets you fined in SA?
Did you know that there is a small window of opportunity for motorists who are caught driving above the speed limit?
Speeding has long been viewed negatively, largely due to its strong link to road fatalities.
Still, the adrenaline rush of fast driving continues to tempt motorists into channelling their inner Tokyo Drift on South African roads.
While Hollywood hits like 'The Fast and the Furious' might romanticise speeding, the reality comes with a cost – both to your driving record and your bank account.
But it turns out the fear of getting fined for going slightly over the speed limit might be overblown.
According to Top Auto, South African motorists can legally travel up to 10km/h over the posted limit without receiving a fine.
This built-in “tolerance” exists to account for slight calibration differences in vehicle speedometers, which vary depending on the automaker and the tools used during manufacturing.
That’s also why built-in GPS devices often display a different speed than your dashboard – and why stationary speed cameras might give you a little leeway.
To avoid "prosecuting persons who marginally exceed the speed limit and clogging up the legal system," authorities have built a 10km/h tolerance into the fine structure, according to Top Auto.
Below is a breakdown of the fines and demerit points you could face if caught speeding, as outlined in the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act.
READ MORE: Drivers: Pay attention when changing lanes
However, the 10km/h grace does not apply if you're caught by average speed-over-distance cameras, which are considered more accurate in calculating a vehicle’s actual speed.
Top Auto explains: “For example, a 100km stretch of road with a speed limit of 100km/h (27.7 metres per second) should take exactly one hour if no unforeseen hiccups arise. Suppose a motorist is doing 120km/h.
"In that case, they will reach point B faster than the expected one-hour timeframe, whereupon the system will use a time-over-distance formula to determine that the individual was averaging 33.3 metres per second and issue a fine.”
In the bigger picture, it’s best to stick to the speed limit – accuracy and enforcement technology are only getting better, and the fines aren’t worth the risk.
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