jb72 wrote:
I don't want to start a big thing here, and I know I am going to be slated for this, but this past weekend I was pulled over by a traffic officer in Kruger for the first time.
She drove past me in the opposite direction, suddenly turned around and came racing back to me with blue light flashing and siren screaming. I was quite worried, and thought what now ????
Well I am sorry to say I was guilty. I'm sure this has been discussed on the forum before, but I had my 3 year old son sitting on my lap "helping me drive" and spotting animals. Boy that lady was upset - how dare I break the rules so blatantly.....
Come on guys....really ???? I know rules are rules, and no matter how big or small they should be adhered to, but what is the problem with this ? I'm driving 20/30km/h and I'm in total control of the vehicle. If I spot elephants, or traffic I simply take him off my lap and he goes to sit in the back. (I drive a kombi). Where in any of this is anyone's life in danger ???? Many of us have been sitting on our dad's laps driving through Kruger since we were tiny. I have never heard of any incident where someone with a kid on their lap caused an accident ?
The worst of all was that minutes before I was pulled off a White Fortuner came racing past doing at least 80km/h. Earlier the morning we had people hanging out their cars at a wild dog sighting, but I get pulled for having my son on my lap. It's not right....
anyone else feel the same way, or am I going to be blasted here ?
I read through all the posts and it seems that we are busy discussing two different situations that might occur, one is breaking a park rule (for our own safety) and in the other is transgressing an Act/Law/regulation.
When looking at the first two paragraphs of jb72's story, the traffic officer actually attended to a situation were section 308 of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 1999 was transgressed and not a Park rule for that matter. Section 308 (1) (d) states " No person driving or having a vehicle on a public road shall – when driving such vehicle, permit any person to take hold of or interfere with the steering or operating mechanism of the vehicle" and (e) states " No person driving or having a vehicle on a public road shall – when driving such vehicle, occupy such position that he or she does not have complete control over the vehicle or does not have a full view of the roadway and the traffic ahead of such vehicle".
Just wondered what could have happened if the little one turned the steering whilst the Fortuner came racing past
.
I might be wrong but as far as I know these traffic officers have to attend to both situations that might occur, breaking a rule of the park and transgressing the law.
I am happy not to be them
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is good for my safety or animals' safety.
Because disturbing the animal is against the rules! So we need to use common sense I think. 
... now fairly law-abiding visitors who only sticks a finger or elbow or occasional ear (okay, head, arms and bins) out the window get punished, which is slightly ridiculous when you think about it (always excepting at predator and other dangerous animal sightings) 
