Could someone in authority explain my rights as a taxpaying South African citizen, under the umbrella of the protection offered by the Constitution, should I through no negligence on my part, collide with and cause injury to one of the assortment of robot intersection entertainers, beggars, hawkers, potential muggers, blind persons or wheelchair occupants that proliferate the intersections on the East Rand/Ekurhuleni?
I am aware that as a motorist I am obliged to exercise caution in respect of pedestrians in the roadway. But what does the Roads Act say about clowns on unicycles, jugglers, blind people being steered this way and that with no regard to moving traffic, wheelchairs that suddenly get swung into the traffic lane by a caregiver bent on getting a handout, or hawkers leaping out of the path of a motorcyclist speeding up the white line between lanes of traffic? Am I still responsible if one of these fall in front of, or onto, my vehicle?
In the event of my vehicle sustaining damage from such an incident am I able to claim from the metro police who condone the presence of these people in the road?
