Motorists in Cape Town will have to a pay ZAR1,140 (US$115) fine to retrieve a mobile phone confiscated for using it behind the wheel.
This forms part of the City of Cape Town’s efforts to intensify the law against users caught using their mobile phones while driving, which was put into effect today.
The municipal by-law itself was implemented last year and has already seen numerous mobile phones confiscated for inappropriate use behind the wheel.
Eye Witness News reported JP Smith, a councillor for the City of Cape Town, as saying the council has recorded less breaches of the by-law, “but certainly not as much as we would like”.
“People say the cellphone can be recovered for free the next day from the pound, which means there is no meaningful disincentive, but we’re adding a tariff,” said Smith.
Furthermore, Smith said in comparison with other South African cities or provinces, the Western Cape is recording less road deaths.
“The Western Cape has brought down the death toll admirably. Cape Town is the only big city that has seen a reduction in the death toll on our roads because of our diligent focus on the causes of death on our roads, of which driving is an important contributor,” concluded Smith.
