News & Views

ZA Car Episode 60 - The Rager Edition

After some time without electricity at the studio and the festive time of the year, ZA Car Show returned for the penultimate episode of 2009. The team is joined by a representative, Carmen Du Preez from Rager, a mobile phone-based traffic management system; Carmen helps shed some light on how this system works and why its important to register. We also discuss South Africa’s Car of The Year and some new, but pointless models from Mercedes and VW.

Visit the ZA Car Website for the whole story.

Download the audio here.

Experts give Road Rage Website the finger

From the Sunday Times of January 24, 2010, p.7:

By Corienne Louw

SMASHING IDEA: A South African website urges drivers to SMS their
complaints instead of succumbing to road rage
Picture: GALLO/GETTY IMAGE

Instead of bursting an artery, South African motorists are using a new SMS service to vent their road rage.

But the website, rager.co.za, started by Johannesburg brothers Michael and Steven Edwards, has been met with mixed reaction by road traffic officials and experts, one of whom has dismissed it as a "vigilante" initiative.

The brothers launched Rager late last year following their own road rage experiences. Research has shown that half of all South African road users experienced aggressive and threatening driving behaviour.

Rager advises motorists to report drivers who appear to be "some self-absorbed punter driving like a Cape Point baboon on tik".

For R2, the offender's licence-plate number and a summary of the offence should be SMSed to the site's number, and the complaint will be posted online.

And those reporting bad driving will be informed, via SMS, how often the subject of their anger has enraged others.

Government plans unpalatable

From Autoopinion, in Autodealer North West, week 14, 2010, p. 8:

Mark Holdsworth

2010-03-29

How many people actually know how they are going to be affected by the introduction of new number plates?

This question has been plaguing me, and numerous others, for the last few weeks. There are also several and varied other questions posed regarding this new system.

To give a bit of background: the new number plates are made of aluminium rather than plastic and have a radio frequency identification tag that links the vehicle to its owner and manufacturer.

The new numbering system will consist of a series of two letters, two numbers and two letters, ending with the letters “GP”.

Government’s reasons for implementing the new system include crime prevention and the fact that the current series of number plates is due to run out before June this year at which point, should the new system not be in place, no new cars will be able to be registered.