Deputy Transport Minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, has raised the alarm on a disturbing new trend that’s endangering lives on the road – content creation while driving.
Speaking at the Easter Arrive Alive Campaign launch in Gqeberha on Sunday, Hlengwa described this growing habit as a “new pandemic” of distracted driving.
“Speeding is another contributory factor,” Hlengwa said.
“The heightened level of cell phone usage behind the steering wheel – generally for content creation for TikTok, Instagram amongst others – is extremely worrying.”
While the message was aimed at all road users, SA Trucker has observed that the trend is gripping some in the trucking industry too.
It’s not uncommon to find videos online of truckers pulling stunts, live-streaming from the cab, or filming other reckless drivers while they’re behind the wheel themselves.
Ironically, even when trying to expose dangerous behaviour, many forget that filming while driving means they’re also not paying full attention to the road.
Let’s call it what it is – reckless content creation.
By just searching on SA Trucker you will find several articles about reckless content creation by truck drivers, from steering with legs, reckless speeding, driving while sitting on passenger’s seat, and even boozing.
Whether it’s a phone in hand, mounted awkwardly, or balanced on a dashboard, the moment you’re focused on your screen more than your surroundings, you’re distracted.
Watch: Truck driver films himself doing 134km/h on SA highway
And when you’re behind the wheel of a 56-ton combination, that’s playing with fire.
Yes, some content helps highlight hazards on the road and warns other drivers, but safety must come first.
As SA Trucker always says – if it’s necessary to record something, use a fixed dashcam or get your co-driver to do it.
Don’t be the one who causes an accident just because you wanted a viral clip.
And to those saying, “But SA Trucker, you use those same videos to warn us,” – we’d rather run out of content than see another trucker lose their life for a few likes. Safety is the real content worth promoting.
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