Time for a U-turn 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 On a recent visit to the USA, I was told by a taxi driver that in New York, a yellow traffic light is regarded as a suggestion. My companion quickly coun- tered, 'In South Africa, a yellow light is seen as a challenge.' It seems to me that in this country it is the red light that is seen as a sugges tion, and one that fewer motorists are even considering , as they career across crowded intersections, against the lights. On a Monday morning it is inter- esting to note the number of traffic lights that have fallen victim to weekend maniacs. On the ground they lie, wrenched from their foundations, by drivers determined to beat the lights. How, I ask myself, did we arrive at this juncture? Fingers are often pointed at the taxi industry, many of whose drivers are a byword for the violation of traffic regulations. In retaliation, a growing number of citizens have adopted an 'If you can't beat them, join them' atti- tude, and now see themselves as exempt from the very regulations which they criticise the taxi drivers for ignoring. And so the road to safe driving practices has become increasingly potholed. It is now open season on our roads: a brisk trade in Made in China licences; a death toll so high that it functions as an unofficial form of population control; outbursts of road rage that have led to shocking injuries and loss of life; and a general feeling that the law applies to everyone other than ourselves. 'Our traffic officers are corrupt and open to bribery,' is the cry, ignoring the truth that for every bribe accepted one has to be offered. 'Let them fix up the taxis before they expect the rest of us to take the law seriously,' is another justi- fication. Is this a defensible attitude? It's like saying that it's fine to shoplift because there are so many burglaries going on. In February 2012, the driver of a minibus taxi was finally sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for manoeuvering his way through a closed railway boom and into the path of an on-coming train. Ten of the school children in his taxi died on the scene, or as a result of their injuries. Such incidents are a sobering reminder of the consequences of flouting traffic laws. But do our feelings of outrage outlast the news broadcast, and do we apply the obvious lesson to our own behaviour? On the topic of sobriety, another favourite of mine is the brazen attitude so often seen towards drinking and driving, despite a massive official campaign to curb this behaviour. I always carry lots of cash with me if I go to a party,' brags one of my friends. 'It's never a problem if I'm stopped at a roadblock.' The fact that he will then be guilty of two crimes escapes him. Until the day when he is loaded into the back of a police van and his complacency comes to a screeching halt. Powered by CS CamScanner 10 10 Reading and comprehension skills 11 Once a society becomes used to bypassing the law on one route, it is very easy for its citi- zens to start taking other detours off the road of responsibility. There is ample evidence that these detours are starting to look like major highways. So where do we go from here? It's time to make a U-turn out of the cul de sac of questionable behaviour. It starts with me. It starts with 11 12 13
ON YOUR OWN
Answering comprehension questions
Apply all your comprehension skills, and answer these additional questions on the editorial Time for a U-turn.
1. How does the heading help you to predict the content of the article?
2. The writer uses an extended metaphor in this editorial. Identify three examples of this usage, and assess the impact of the technique in getting the point across.
3. What is the difference between a suggestion and a challenge in the context of the first paragraph of the editorial?
4. In your own words, explain what you understand by the expressions career across intersections (paragraph 2) and Made in China licences (paragraph 5).
5. Is this article aimed at the taxi industry? Substantiate your answer with evidence from the text.
6. In paragraph 2, the writer presents traffic lights in a particular way. Identify the technique that has been used, and comment on the impact achieved.
7. Comment on the intention of the writer in making the statement in paragraph 5 that South Africa has a road death toll so high that it functions as an unofficial form of population control.
8. Why does the writer compare our questionable behaviour to a cul de sac (paragraph 12)?
9. What, in the opinion of the writer, is an additional danger to society stemming from violations of traffic regulations (paragraph 10)?
10. Read the last paragraph, and then suggest reasons why the writer h arranged these two short sentences in this order
