What is the speed limit in the absence of any signs?

By Lawrence Minnie 

It’s that dreaded, familiar feeling as you open your post box and a window envelope flops out, with ‘Speed Infringement Notice’ emblazoned across it, in red. You scan the document looking for a where and a when. I don’t recognize that place at all, you think to yourself. I am sure there were no road markings there?

A quick check with Google Earth reveals the complete absence of any road signs demarcating speed, but unfortunately you aren’t off the hook. Even without a sign that indicates the speed limit, you are still liable for the speeding ticket, because you should know that within any given area there is still an applicable speed limit, as stipulated in the Road Traffic Act.

So what are these limits?

If you passed your K53 learner’s, it was in the book. But in case that was quite a long time ago and it’s slipped into the ghosts of the past, here’s a quick reminder:

• Freeways and open roads

This one is easy to remember; it’s our national road network’s maximum limit.

120km/h, if you don’t see any signs -  this is the fastest you should be driving.

• Rural open roads

These are the less-travelled roads not on the national network, often including hard-packed dirt or gravel roads, and the limit on these roads is 100km/h. In all honesty, you really shouldn’t be doing that speed on a rough surface unless you’re Giniel de Villiers or Sebastian Loeb. 80 km per hour is more than ample.

• Urban roads

This one is slightly trickier as the speed limits vary from area to area and road to road. These can range from 70km/h to 90km/h. If you don’t see any signs, rather just stick to the national limit of 60km/h. That way, if Johnny Law is hiding behind a bush with a radar gun, you wont find yourself having to separate from you hard-earned cash.

• Special Restriction zones

People who get caught speeding in these areas get no sympathy from me. Any road fronting a school or campus, train station or church will see you having to bring your speed down to 40km/h, even if there are no signs present.

Despite what you might think of our law enforcement and their tactics, the limits are still there, despite there being no sign telling you what you should already know. It’s every South African road user’s responsibility to stick to the speed limit – not just to prevent getting fined, but mostly to prevent accidents.