TRAFFIC & WEATHER

If weather affects human behaviour, then aggressive and frequently violent Joburg is certainly a case in point. Weather is never polite in this city: rain pounds down and hail is common. All this action is accompanied by high winds, thunder and lightning which is why what happened yesterday is even more remarkable. Clouds rolled in in the late afternoon and the sky became very dark. I should have left work immediately, but wanted to wrap up one last thing. By the time I got on the highway, hail was pounding down so hard that I couldn't hear the car radio. My impulse was to stop under the nearest overpass and wait it out. And then the most amazing thing happened: drivers who are known for their blatant disregard of traffic laws began to slow down and everyone put on their hazard flashers making it easier to see the car in front during the heavy rain storm. This uniform reference to safety is unheard of in Joburg and left me feeling much calmer as I slowed with cautious traffic pace. As I reached the first underpass, cars had not only stopped on the shoulder but were also parked in the two slow lanes. In the end, I decided not to stop as I was too afraid of being rear-ended. This is Joburg after all……