Are you planning a road trip in South Africa and wondering about the rules of driving in South Africa? With stunning landscapes, incredible nature, long open roads and vibrant cities, South Africa is the perfect country for a self-drive holiday.
Being a large country with so many places to visit and activities to enjoy, planning your South African itinerary is just one part of your adventure. If it’s your first time visiting, you might be curious about the driving rules and what to expect on the road.
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In this guide, we’ll cover the main rules and give useful tips for driving in South Africa, what to watch out for and how to handle various road conditions along with local traffic regulations. Whether you’re cruising through busy city streets or soaking in the scenery on rural roads, being prepared makes all the difference.
TIP: Looking to rent a car in South Africa? Check here to find out the best deals and prices for rental cars in South Africa.
STAY CONNECTED ON YOUR SOUTH AFRICA ROAD TRIP
Having mobile data is especially useful when driving around South Africa. Use your phone for Google Maps and other navigation apps, check information while you're on the road and stay in touch without relying on Wi-Fi.
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South Africa drives on the left-hand side
One of the most important tips about driving in South Africa is that they drive on the left-hand side with the driver's seat on the right. This is similar to countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, India and most of South Africa's neighbouring countries.
If you are used to driving on the right-hand side, be mindful when departing the airport with your rental car. In the beginning it will take a bit of getting used to, like changing gears with your left hand, driving in the correct lane and being especially careful when taking a roundabout, or circle as they call it in South Africa.
If you are unsure, especially after arriving on a long flight, it's recommendable to rent an automatic car. And before driving away, familiarise yourself with where the indicators are and other important controls, as they may be on the opposite side compared to what you're used to. But, the pedals will always be in the same position, no matter where in the world you are.
Avoid driving at night
Avoid driving at night in South Africa is always one of the major safety warnings, and it's not only because of possible crime. In certain areas it is not safe to drive at night because of crime, like certain parts of the city center of Johannesburg for instance.
With that said, driving at night is also not safe because of road conditions, such as bad visibility due to low or no illumination, stray animals and cattle on the road, people walking next to or on the road, bad road surface, potholes and unmarked speed bumps. Especially as a first time visitor to South Africa, if you are not familiar with the prevailing road conditions, you really want to avoid driving into a deep pothole in the dark. Even with good headlights on your car, you will not see that pothole coming or that animal or person crossing if you are not expecting such things.
In an emergency you can of course drive a short distance to the nearest hospital or from your accommodation to a restaurant. Always ask your accommodation for advice on local road conditions.
Beware for animals and people crossing
In South Africa, it's not uncommon to see stray animals or cattle grazing at the side of the road. The real danger comes when an animal, or even an entire herd, suddenly decides to cross. Some animals will simply stand in the middle of the road and even as you drive closer, they might not move immediately or only very slowly.
People also tend to walk along the roadside or cross unexpectedly, even on highways. It’s common to see someone take a risk and run across the freeway while you're driving at 120 km/h (75 mph), which can be extremely dangerous.
Always be aware of people and animals on the road, during the day and at night, on rural regional roads and on major highways.
Stay connected when driving
Staying connected while driving in South Africa is essential for navigation, safety and general communication. As most people use online navigation (like Google Maps, Waze, Sygic or Maps.me) it's good to have mobile data available. South Africa has very good mobile connectivity, but in some rural areas, mountain passes or deserts like the Kalahari you might loose signal.
For any genuine emergency in South Africa, call the number 112. You don't even need an active sim in your phone, you just need to be within range of any local network. Make sure to also call the rental car emergency number if having a problem or breakdown.
Read more about why you need mobile data for your South Africa road trip.
Stick to the speed limit
Speed limits in South Africa are strictly enforced and police frequently set up speed cameras and do regular checks. You're on holiday and the last thing you want is to deal with a speeding fine. Even if other drivers ignore the speed limits, don’t follow their lead and always stick to the posted speed signs.
More and more rental companies now install GPS trackers in their vehicles, meaning they can monitor if you were speeding. If anything happens, insurance may not cover you if you were found to be exceeding the speed limit.
How and when to pay a traffic fine
Should you get a fine for speeding or any other traffic related fine, never pay directly to the police on the spot. This is illegal and should always be paid through official channels. It just so happens that the police may see this direct payment of a fine as a way of earning some 'extra money' and may even give you a 'discount' if paid cash in hand. In short, this is what you call a bribe, which we don't think is legal, in any country. Also, police in South Africa are paid somewhat decent salaries, unlike in other countries, so they don't need to solicit bribes.
Always ask for an official paper stating the fine and pay via the method/s stated on the fine. This can be online, at the nearest traffic department or when using a rental car, it will get charged to your credit card.
Always ask your rental car company what to do if/when receiving a traffic fine when signing for the rental car. Or better yet, avoid getting a traffic fine altogether.
Beware for big differences in speed
In most western countries, drivers generally do respect speed limits on highways, both the maximum and minimum speed limits. In South Africa, however, do expect a significant difference in driving speeds.
You will often encounter heavily loaded trucks driving very, very slowly, or very fast for that matter, or very slow driving cars. Additionally, some cars travel well below the speed limit due to age, poor conditions, heavy loads, or simply because the driver prefers to drive slowly.
Be especially cautious of these large speed differences when driving on highways where the speed limit is 120 km/h (75 mph). A slow-moving vehicle can suddenly appear in front of you doing less than half the posted speed, and if you're not paying attention, your meeting the other vehicle might not end well.
Come to a full stop at a stop street
When coming to a stop street (full line with or without a stop sign) always come to a full stop before advancing. Even when you see other cars not doing it and the road is free to continue driving, you will be fined if the police sees that you did not come to a full stop.
Often the police will be watching certain stop streets where frequent violations happen and they will fine you.
How to pass a four way stop street
A four way stop street in South Africa operates on a first come first serve basis. This means that every vehicle first needs to come to a full stop. If multiple cars arrive at the exact same time at the intersection, drivers usually use their discretion as to who has right of way to proceed first.
Always make sure to proceed with caution and to make eye contact before proceeding. This method may seem like it doesn't work, but weirdly enough in most cases it works and people respect the first come first serve basis.
Good to know: When at an intersection where the traffic lights (called robots in South Africa) are out of order, the same rule as a four way stop street applies.
Be careful driving over the yellow line
When driving on a freeway or highway in South Africa, the emergency lane is marked with a yellow line. You may notice lots of drivers moving over the yellow line to allow 'faster' (impatient) vehicles to overtake. Most people driving in South Africa consider this as a general polite driving habit but it is important to understand the actual rules.
Driving over the yellow lane is prohibited in most cases because it is designated for emergencies, like broken down vehicles and emergency vehicles that need to pass.
It is however said that driving in the yellow lane is allowed in certain circumstances, like on single lane roads, a slower moving vehicle may temporarily make space for a faster moving vehicle in order not to obstruct traffic but only when visibility is good and only during daylight hours, to see that no vehicle is standing further ahead in the emergency lane and when it's safe to pass.
Despite this, I’d recommend being cautious when either driving in or overtaking a vehicle using the yellow lane. The emergency lane is often quite narrow, meaning you will need to partially enter the oncoming traffic lane anyway when overtaking, and quite possibly there is a solid barrier line. Additionally, if the slower-moving vehicle suddenly swerves back due to an obstruction in the emergency lane, you could be forced into oncoming traffic, creating a dangerous situation.
With that all said, you won't have to wait all day to pass another vehicle. There are often double passing lanes or safe opportunities to pass without either vehicle having to cross yellow or sold barrier lines.
South Africa road system
South Africa has a well developed road network with a mix of freeways, highways, regional roads and smaller unpaved and gravel roads.
- National Roads or N-roads: The major long distance roads connecting the major cities are the N-roads, with numbers from N1 (the longest) to N18. Some of these roads are toll roads, some are dual carriageway and some are single carriage way.
- Regional Roads or R-roads: These roads connect the smaller cities and towns and can be paved or unpaved and be in good or very poor condition. Always be careful when driving on these R-roads as some are heavily potholed and while they might seem in mint condition, bumps and potholes can sneak up on you.
- Gravel and dirt roads: The very small roads are often gravel or dirt roads, some in good condition and some very poor. Also during the rainy season some of these roads may get partly washed away. Driving a high clearance vehicle is often recommended but even better is driving a 4x4, especially on mountainous roads.
Toll roads
Some of the major roads, like the N1, N2, N3 and N4 are toll roads for which you will have to pay a fee at the designated toll booths.
Toll fees can be paid using local currency only (Rand), South African credit or debit cards or with an electronic tag. Some booths may not accept foreign cards, so carrying cash is a good backup. Some rental companies might have an electronic tag installed for which you will have to sort out payment with the rental company afterwards.
Recently, these toll booths may only accept contactless cards, so no swiping of magnetic strip is allowed anymore to avoid credit card fraud.
Fuel stations are always manned
In South Africa, fuel stations are always manned and so you are not allowed to put fuel in your car yourself, ever. The fuel attendant will do everything, you don't need to leave or exit your vehicle, not even to pay as he or she will bring you a credit card machine when paying by card. All major card types accepted.
You can also ask the attendant to clean your windows, check your tire pressure and your oil and water levels. It is customary to leave a tip for their assistance with a general rule to leave 5 to 10 ZAR (South African Rand) for pumping fuel and an additional 5 to 10 ZAR for the extra service of washing windows or pumping tires if requested.
Good to know: Even though the attendant will fill up your car, you are still responsible for the type of fuel they pump, petrol or diesel. So, feel free to get out the vehicle and watch them, before they start the pump. If you realise the wrong type has been put in, do NOT start the vehicle. This is when you call for help to have the tank drained.
Look out for speed bumps
Speed bumps are common on residential roads, near schools and on roads leading into or out of a city or town centre. Since speed bumps in South Africa can be quite high and steep, it's important to reduce your speed well in advance.
Speed humps can either be a single, steep and high bump, often marked with white or yellow paint, or at least, they used to be. In many cases, the paint has faded, making them hard to spot until you're already close or even right on top of them. Be very careful as they will scrape the bottom of your car if you drive over them too fast.
Another common type consists of several smaller bumps placed in a row, forcing drivers to slow down gradually. They're also known as rumble strips. Always stay alert for speed bumps.
Be patient at roadworks
No matter where you travel, you will certainly come across some roadworks. In South Africa they work slightly different than abroad. They work with lane closures and manned stop / go systems.
The South African stop-go system is where traffic in one direction is stopped while the other moves, controlled by flag workers. Sometimes the roadworks are carried out for a few kilometres meaning the waiting time might be for up to 20 minutes. If the waiting time is long, there is often a sign indicating the waiting time.
Just be patient, wait for the flag workers to give you permission to drive through even if you have the feeling there is no oncoming traffic. You might have been waiting for 20 minutes and just one car might arrive coming from the other side, especially on low traffic roads.
For some people the traffic rules don’t apply
When driving in South Africa, you will notice very fast that the traffic rules apply to almost everyone, except for taxis (local minibus taxis). They will drive through red traffic lights, over full white lanes, on the side pavement to pass a traffic jam and will push their way in. Don't get upset or try to block their way. This is what they do and they often get away with it. They unofficially rule the road, mafia style.
Also you might see tow trucks or towing vehicles racing past left, right and center. They do this because when an emergency occurs or a vehicle has broken down, the first tow truck that arrives has the right to tow the vehicle away. So as soon as they hear about a breakdown, they will race past any car or traffic jam to arrive first.
TIP: Should you breakdown, make very sure from your rental company who is allowed to tow the vehicle.
More travel guides for South Africa:
- Why visit South Africa
- Great reasons to visit Durban
- What to do in Johannesburg - activities and tours
- Free things to do in Cape Town
- Most beautiful places in Cape Town to take pictures for Instagram
- Complete guide for visiting Kruger National Park
- Most beautiful beaches to visit in South Africa
- Which traditional foods you need to try in South Africa
