Traffic Rules and Regulation

Traffic regulations and the need for them

Traffic regulations are rules and regulations made for the control of movement of goods, people and vehicles on our roads. Traffic regulations are also called the Highway Code.

Table of Contents

Traffic regulation can be defined as the rules and regulations that guide the behaviours or actions of road users. This is in place in order to prevent accidents and enhance the free flow of traffic

Some Traffic Rules and Regulations

Do not drink and drive: Road users are expected to avoid taking alcohol shortly before or while driving
Vigilance: Motorists and pedestrians crossing roads should be vigilant in orderto avoid accidents.
Avoid hands free / earpiece: All road users are required to avoid all forms of hand free/ earpiece as this may not allow them to hear well and concentrate.
Wearing of seat belt: Motorist are expected to wear the seat -belt whenever they are driving, passengers should also use the seat belt where they are provided
Noise pollution: All road users are expected to guide against noise pollution. Drivers of vehicles should not blow their horns excessively to disturb or distract others
Obstruction parking: All road users should avoid packing on the road as this may lead to obstruction for other road users, thereby leading to heavy traffic.
Making calls while driving: Making and receiving phone calls should be avoided while driving as this can cause distraction and lead to accident.
Use of trafficators: Road users should trafficate before entering or leaving the road to indicate and create awareness for other vehicles coming behind; this will help to avoid accident
Speed limit: All motorists to adhere strictly to speed limits as provided
Bridges and zebra crossing point: Pedestrians should use pedestrians bridges or zebra crossing points where they are provided

Road Signs

Road signs are symbols which help road users gain full information about road the in other to avoid accidents. These signs are grouped into

Regulatory signs: These are signs that appear often in circular shapes. “They are divided into

(a) Mandatory regulatory signs: Mandatory regulatory signs appear with blue circles but without red border such as diversion signs, roundabout sign etc.

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(b) Prohibitive Regulatory signs: They are signs with red and yellow circles. They are Stop sign, No light sign etc. The colour red for regulatory signs as a background colour is used to denote restriction.

Informative Signs: They are provided to give required information to road users.

The following examples are signs you might find on the roads while you drive:

Category	Description	Example
Regulatory: control	To give you very specific instructions	A round red sign with a white bar across it means no entry
Regulatory: command	To tell you to drive in a certain way	A blue sign with a taxi on it means that only taxis may use that lane or area
Regulatory: prohibition	To prohibit you from driving in a certain way	A round prohibition sign with a red line through an arrow pointing right means that there is no right turn allowed
Regulatory: reservation	To inform you that a particular lane or area may only be used by a certain type of vehicle	A vertical rectangular sign with a bus on it means only buses may use that lane or area
Warning: road layout	To warn you of changes in the layout of the road	A triangular warning sign with a “T” on it is informing you that there is a T-junction up ahead
Warning: direction of movement	To warn you to anticipate something up ahead	A triangular sign with a bicycle on it is telling you to anticipate cyclists
Guidance: location	To let you know where you are	A white sign with a name and the highway symbol lets you know what highway you are travelling on
Guidance: route markers	To give you information about the route you are travelling on	A green sign with the names of nearby towns and numbers lets you know how far you are away from these places in kilometres
Guidance: tourism	To inform you of nearby attractions and places of interest	A brown sign with the head of a kudu on it is used to indicate that you are approaching one of South Africa’s national parks
Temporary: prohibition	To warn you that you are temporarily prohibited from driving in a certain way	A yellow sign with the number “100” in it and a red circle around the edge means that a speed limit of 100km/h has been temporarily introduced and may not be exceeded
Temporary: warning	To give instructions when a portion of road is under construction or if there is an accident scene	A yellow sign with a man digging means that you should expect construction work up ahead

The importance of road traffic signs

The teacher should draw the following road signs on cardboard sheets to show the children, and explain the importance of each of the signs to the

Traffic signals help in controlling pedestrian and vehicle traffic by means of assigning the priorities to some traffic movements to stimulate the flow of traffic. Properly designed, maintained, and located traffic signals may have one or more of the following advantages:

It interrupts the heavy traffic at intersections to allow other vehicles or pedestrians to cross it.
It helps in providing a continuous movement of traffic at a certain speed in a given route or way.
It helps in reducing the severity and frequency of various types of accidents or crashes, most especially the right-angle collision.
It increases the traffic handling capacity of a certain intersection.
It makes the movement of traffic in a certain intersection in order