We now live in a time where face masks have become just as important as wearing a seatbelt while driving. Not wearing a face mask while driving with passengers can result in an admission of guilt penalties by the law. If these rules are not kept under the current State of Disaster, it can cause you to get a motoring-specific fine.
Motorists must abide by these laws as it can include a hefty fine. Drivers should ensure that passengers are always wearing their masks when they are in the car. If they don’t, the driver and passengers can get a fine of a R1000 each for breaking this law.
This law falls into the same category as wearing a seatbelt. Drivers who take responsibility while driving with passengers will ensure that they wear safety belts while driving. This rule applies similarly to the wearing of face masks.
When a motorist is transporting passengers, he or she should communicate the need to wear face masks as he or she does for seat belts. It is up to the driver to ensure that all passengers, including him/herself, are wearing a mask. It has now been proven that wearing a mask can help curb the spread of COVID-19. Contracting COVID-19 should be more of a reason to wear a mask than getting a hefty fine.
It seems that if your passengers are from the same household, the law might be open to a different interpretation.
It is important to remember that when you are pulled over by a law enforcement officer to always wear your mask, as this might be infringing on the law. Always make sure to have your face mask close so that you can put it on if you were to be stopped by the police, also ensure that your passengers are wearing masks, if you have any.
With masks being one of the fines you can get under the State of Disaster, there are a few more that can affect you. These include the following:
- Not adhering to the current curfew. During Level 1 the curfew starts at 00h00 and ends at 04h00.
- Failure of public transport operators to keep their maximum load at the new, smaller load capacity.
Admission of guilt fines1
If you have been arrested on suspicion of a less severe crime, the South African Police Service can give you an option to pay an admission of guilt fine. This fine will allow the person to admit to the guilt of a lesser crime instead of having to appear in court for it. The court system is already overloaded with far more serious offences.
One must also remember that when you get an admission of guilt fine, you do get a criminal record with it. Even though it is meant to resolve less serious matters quickly, you are still taking full responsibility for the offence committed. Under the National State of Disaster, thousands of people have paid admission of guilt fines.
Wearing a face mask while driving your car is a necessary safety precaution for added peace of mind. Perhaps also consider getting the peace of mind with affordable, reliable car insurance coverage? Feel free to get a quote for affordable car insurance with PMD, and enjoy unique benefits like fixed premiums* and a reduce to zero excess*. T’s and C’s apply.
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.
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