COVER PAGE / HOME

OVERVIEW / english

GUIDED TOURS

SELF-DRIVE TOURS

CAMPING-TOURS

BUSH ADVENTURE

MOTORBIKE TOURS

GOLF and SAFARI

ENQUIRIES

Climate Zones and Travel Period

The Travel Routes

Selection of Vehicles

Accommodation

Activities

Travel and Health

Wild Card

Money and Banks

Left Hand Driving

Conservation and Tourism

Conservation and Hunting

LEFT HAND DRIVING and other SPECIFIC REGULATIONS

We don't need to tell our clients who come here from the British Isles much about left-hand traffic - except about some special features of South African traffic regulations. We'll come back to this below.
For our clients who come from countries with right-hand traffic: Right at the beginning, a question that comes up always and again. Regarding the right-of-way regulation for equal-ranking roads: The vehicle comming from the right side has the right-of-way!

Also in the roundabout: turn left!

Rather unusual: lanes only for rickshaws.

You sit on the right in the car and it only takes a short time before you automatically reach for the gear lever with your left hand.
Experience has shown that operating direction indicator and windscreen wipers correctly takes a little longer. However, there is the exception that many European car makes, such as Volkswagen, Volvo ... etc, have arranged this control elements as you are used to from countries with right-hand traffic.
It will also take some time before you, as the driver, automatically head for the right car door to get in.

You will get used to driving on the left side of the road relatively quickly. Vehicles are then naturally overtaken on the right. As long as you are not really used to driving on the left, you should be careful in city traffic, especially at large, multi-lane intersections. And at the roundabout: Turn to the left!

However, there are still two problems to which I would like to draw your special attention because they can result in very serious accidents.

Problem one - on the motorcycle - especially on country roads with little traffic:
While you sit in the car as the driver on the right, and only because of this reason you notice when you are driving on the wrong side of the road,  you do not have this warning effect while sitting on a motorcycle. If you are traveling alone, you have no choice but to pay particularly attention, especially when you drive back onto the road after a short break. However, if you are traveling in a group, let the person who is most familiar with left-hand traffic drive ahead - as far as possible and at least at the beginning of the tour!

Problem two - as a pedestrian - especially in larger villages and towns on busy roads:
You walk and look around, or you talk to your companions. This distracts you and if you grew up in a country with right-hand traffic, then you are at risk as a pedestrian in city traffic. You have a habit that runs automatically and that you can hardly control.
You walk towards a busy street and the moment you want to step onto the road - you look to your left .... - and in this very moment you already hear the tires squeaking from the other side.
So look to the RIGHT first - when you walk on a street!

The speed limits - which apply almost all over southern Africa:
out of town - 120km/h ... it doesn't matter whether it's a motorway or a country road
within localities - 60km/h ... is always explicitly regulated by traffic signs

There are no place signs that prescribe a maximum speed, because this is always indicated by traffic signs. So if you were distracted and suddenly notice that you are now obviously driving trough a locality, then if in doubt, reduce the speed to the usual 60km / h in localities.

Gravel road: Resist the temptation to drive too fast even on well-developed routes! Gravel roads are tricky at high speeds and don't forgive driving mistakes. In addition, many car rental companies have installed a GPS tracking system and if you cause an accident on gravel roads at excessive speed, the insurance company can take you back (... - comprehensive insurance or not ...).