Why are South African Politicians and Motorists so Arrogant??

There was a general election recently in Denmark, my home country, and the new government was presented on the 3^rd of October, one of the coalition parties arrived on BICYCLES!!! Wow, that is Ministers of the Danish Parliament actually cycling.

Pictures borrowed from copenhagenize.com

(the mother of all bicycle blogs, check it out)

I think that it is very disturbing that not only politicians but normal motorists behave so arrogantly and superiorly on the roads. We are all equal people, politicians, motorists and cyclists, so lets be civil and respect each other.      

That situation is in sharp contrast to the way S.A. politicians see themselves as Very Important Persons, who need to shoot at other motorists to demand the respect they feel they deserve on the roads!!

See the article from iol.co.za below.

KZN motorists disregard blue lights

October 11 2011 at 05:02pm

KwaZulu-Natal motorists have no respect for vehicles with blue flashing lights, the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court heard on Tuesday.

VIP unit instructor Thulani Khanyile was testifying in the trial of a VIP protection unit member accused of firing shots at a car.

He said motorists in other provinces where he had worked gave way to vehicles flashing blue lights and treated them with the same respect as ambulances.

Khanyile is a defence witness for Hlanganani Nxumalo and Caiphus Ndlela.

The two are bodyguards to KwaZulu-Natal social development MEC Meshack Radebe.

Nxumalo is said to have shot at the tyre of a Mazda near Camperdown, resulting in the driver losing control, veering into oncoming traffic, and colliding head-on with a bakkie.

Ndlela was driving when the incident happened.

Khanyile told the court part of the instruction given in training involved using the vehicle as a weapon when facing a dangerous situation on the road.

He said if this failed, bodyguards were expected to use a gun by firing in the air to warn those posing danger to the VIPs.

Asked how the vehicle could be used as a weapon, Khanyile refused to explain, citing safety and security considerations.

He told the court members of the VIP unit were expected to do anything to protect their masters.

Asked whether breaking the law by using excessive speed was allowed to get MECs to their destinations, Khanyile said this did not amount to breaking the law, but was a simple response to an emergency.

On Monday, Nxumalo testified that he fired shots because the driver posed a danger to him.

Khanyile said Ndlela had been very tolerant of the driver of the Mazda and suggested that a tougher stance should have been taken.

The trial continues on Wednesday. – Sapa