Cape Town, My City.

Ridin' on the Highway

South Africa is a stunning country, and you’d want to see it all in a day. But how do you get around? Is it safe to drive, or should the Cape Town car hire companies be left for the locals that know what they are doing (to a certain extent…). Have no fear, it’s not that scary.

There has been a lot of bad press lately about how dangerous South African roads are, and that you can’t trust anyone on the roads. However, I’d like to put this point to you. If you believed everything you read on the news we’d soon go crazy with threats and bombs and disease and scandals. Certain things need to be taken with a pinch of salt, and this includes the danger in Cape Town in terms of car hire. Cape Town is a dangerous place, but then so is any city. You shouldn’t leave handbags on your passenger seat because the thought of money in a flashy bag is too great a prize for a starving person / criminal. It just so happens that in Cape Town, a culture exists of beggars and hawkers which stand by traffic lights, and so the threat of having your bag pinched and your window smashed increases with more people at the intersection.

Hiring a car and driving in South Africa is a great way to see the country, and it’s thoroughly recommended. However, you should treat the rules of the road in the same way you treat them at home. South Africans can tend to drive a bit like maniacs, but then again any rush-hour traffic in any city can be manic. So please, do your research on the road rules before deciding on a Cape Town car hire company.