Plain-English glossary

Road words explained the way a friend would explain them.

2-second rule: A way to check your following distance. When the car ahead passes a fixed object, count 'one thousand and one, one thousand and two'. If you reach the object before you finish, you are too close. Make it 3 seconds in rain or poor visibility.; Example: At 120 km/h a 2-second gap is about 66 m.
Abnormal load: A vehicle or load that is wider, longer, higher or heavier than the legal limits (for example wider than 2,5 m). It may only travel with special permission and usually with escort vehicles.; Example: A truck carrying a 4 m wide boiler is an abnormal load and needs a permit.
Accelerator: The right-hand pedal. Pressing it makes the engine work harder and the car go faster; easing off slows the engine down. It controls speed both up and down.; Example: If the car starts to aquaplane, ease off the accelerator rather than braking hard.
Amber: The yellow light on a traffic signal. A steady amber means stop before the line unless you are so close that stopping would be unsafe. A flashing amber is only a warning to slow down and proceed with care.; Example: If the light turns amber as you reach the line, you may go through only if you cannot stop safely.
Aquaplaning: When a layer of water builds up under the tyres so they ride on the water instead of the road; the steering suddenly feels light and the car will not respond. Ease off the accelerator, hold the wheel straight and do not brake hard.; Example: If the car aquaplanes in a storm, lift off the accelerator and keep the steering steady.
Axle mass: The amount of mass pressing down on the road through one axle (one pair of wheels). Some bridges and roads have an axle mass limit sign showing the maximum in tons.; Example: An axle mass limit sign with '8 t' bans any vehicle with more than 8 tons on a single axle.
Barrier line (solid line): A solid white line painted along the middle of the road. It is a wall you may not cross: no overtaking or U-turns across it. A broken line may be crossed when safe.; Example: If there is a solid barrier line on your side of the road, wait until it becomes broken before you overtake.
Blind spot: The area beside and behind your car that your mirrors do not show. You must turn your head to check it before changing lanes or direction.; Example: The lane-change routine is mirrors, signal, blind spot, move.
Box junction: An intersection painted with a yellow box and criss-cross lines. You may not enter it unless your exit is clear, so you never get stuck blocking cross traffic.; Example: Even on a green light, wait outside the box junction if the traffic ahead has not moved.
Breakdown: When a vehicle stops working and cannot be driven. On a freeway a breakdown is one of the few acceptable reasons to stop; switch on hazard lights, put out the triangle and get everyone off the carriageway.; Example: If you break down on the freeway, place the triangle 45 m behind the car.
Bus lane: A lane reserved for buses (and often minibus taxis), marked with a yellow line and a sign or 'BUS' painted in it. Other vehicles may not use it from 06:00 to 09:00 and 16:00 to 18:30 on weekdays, except public holidays.; Example: Driving in a bus lane at 07:30 on a Tuesday is an offence.
Carriageway: The part of the road that vehicles actually drive on, from one edge line to the other. It does not include the pavement, the gravel at the side or the shoulder.; Example: The yellow line marks the left edge of the carriageway; the shoulder is outside it.
Cat's eyes (road studs): Small reflective studs set into the road along painted lines so you can see them at night. White along lane lines, yellow along the left edge, red where you may not cross.; Example: Red cat's eyes along a line mean you are not allowed to cross it.
Chevron: A V-shaped or arrowhead marking. Black chevrons on yellow boards stand in sharp bends and point the way the road turns; red-and-white chevron plates mark the end of a road or a T-junction.; Example: Several chevrons together mean a very sharp bend: slow down and steer the way they point.
Clutch: The left-hand pedal in a manual car. Pressing it disconnects the engine from the wheels so you can change gear or stop without the engine stalling.; Example: To select a gear you use the clutch and the gear lever together.
Convoy: A group of vehicles deliberately travelling together in a line. Travelling in convoy is prohibited over weekends and on 25-26 December, from 18:00 the evening before until 06:00 the morning after.; Example: A club driving in convoy on a Saturday afternoon is breaking the convoy rule.
Dangerous goods: Cargo that can harm people or the environment: fuel, gas, chemicals, explosives. Vehicles carrying them show orange diamond placards, and their drivers need a PrDP with the dangerous-goods category.; Example: A petrol tanker is a dangerous-goods vehicle; its driver falls under the 0,02 g alcohol limit.
Dipped beam (low beam): The normal night-time headlight setting, aimed down so it does not dazzle others. It must light the road at least 45 m ahead. Use it in fog and whenever another vehicle is in front of you.; Example: Dip your headlights for oncoming traffic and when following another vehicle.
DLTC (driving licence testing centre): The government office where you apply for and write your learner's licence test and later take your driving test.; Example: Take your ID, two photos and form LL1 to the DLTC to apply for a learner's licence.
Drawbar: The rigid arm on the front of a trailer that connects it to the towing vehicle. Like a tow bar, it is a solid connection.; Example: A trailer attached by its drawbar is a solid tow, so the 30 km/h rope limit does not apply.
Dual carriageway: A road where traffic going in opposite directions is separated by a strip of ground, a barrier or an island, so each direction has its own carriageway. The sign 'dual roadway begins' means this.; Example: On a dual carriageway you never meet oncoming cars on your side, so a U-turn is only possible at a gap in the island.
Emergency (warning) triangle: A red, reflective, double-sided triangle that every motor vehicle must carry. If you break down on a public road you place it at least 45 m behind the vehicle to warn other drivers.; Example: Hazard lights do not replace the triangle; you still have to put it out.
Emergency vehicle: A fire engine, ambulance, police or traffic vehicle or disaster-management vehicle using its siren and warning lights. You must move left and give way to it; failing to is an offence.; Example: Red lights mean fire or ambulance, blue means police or traffic, green means civil protection.
Following distance: The gap between your vehicle and the one in front. The K53 measures it in seconds, not metres, because the distance you need grows with speed.; Example: Following too closely is an offence and the main cause of rear-end crashes.
Freeway: A high-speed road with no traffic lights or crossroads, where you enter and leave by on-ramps and off-ramps. Special rules apply: a 120 km/h general limit, no pedestrians, no stopping unless it is an emergency, and learners only with a licensed driver.; Example: You may not use hand signals on a freeway except in an emergency.
GCM (gross combination mass): Like GVM but for a vehicle together with any trailers it is pulling: the maximum total mass of the whole combination.; Example: A truck pulling two trailers must stay within its GCM.
GVM (gross vehicle mass): The maximum total mass a vehicle is designed to weigh when fully loaded, including the vehicle itself, fuel, passengers and load. Many rules are based on it, such as the 80 km/h limit for goods vehicles over 9 000 kg.; Example: A bakkie with a GVM of 3 500 kg or less counts as a light motor vehicle.
Hazard: Anything on or near the road that could cause danger: a bend, a pothole, a child, an animal, a stopped bus. Warning signs (triangles) warn of hazards ahead.; Example: A ball rolling into the road is a hazard because a child may follow it.
Hazard (danger) plate: A red-and-white striped plate placed on an obstacle next to or above the road, such as a bridge pillar or the start of an island. The stripes slope towards the side you must pass on.; Example: A vertical danger plate on a traffic island shows you which side to pass.
Hill start: Pulling off while facing uphill without rolling back, by using the parking brake and clutch together. It is a standard practical-test exercise.; Example: On a hill start, release the parking brake only as the clutch starts to bite.
Hooter: The horn. It is a safety warning device, not a greeting. It must work and be audible from 90 m, and may only be used when necessary for safety.; Example: Hooting at a pedestrian who is about to step into the road is allowed; hooting at a friend is not.
HOV lane (high-occupancy vehicle lane): A lane marked with a diamond symbol, reserved for vehicles carrying several people (car-pools, buses). A driver alone in a car may not use it.; Example: A yellow diamond painted in the lane means it is an HOV lane.
Idling: The engine running while the car is standing still with no pressure on the accelerator. You may not leave a vehicle unattended with the engine idling.; Example: Switch the engine off, not just idling, before you get out and walk away.
Indicator: The flashing orange lights at the corners of the car, worked by a stalk on the steering column, that show you intend to turn or change lanes. They must be visible from 30 m in daylight.; Example: Signal with your indicator in good time before you begin to turn.
Intersection: Any place where two or more roads meet or cross, including the area where they overlap. Stop and yield rules and many distance rules (like no parking within 5 m) are measured from here.; Example: You may not park closer than 5 m to an intersection.
Junction: Another word for a place where roads join. Signs such as 'no left turn at next junction' refer to the next place where a road joins yours.; Example: A sign showing a side road joining from the right warns of a junction ahead.
Kerb: The raised concrete edge between the road and the pavement. Lines painted along it (red or yellow) tell you whether you may stop or park there.; Example: A solid red line painted on the kerb means you may not stop next to it at any time.
Lane: A strip of the carriageway wide enough for one line of vehicles, marked by painted lines. Keep to the left lane and use the right lane only for overtaking or turning right.; Example: Before changing lanes: mirrors, signal, check the blind spot, then move.
Learner's licence: The first licence you get, after passing a written or computer test on the rules, signs and vehicle controls. It lets you practise on the road only with a licensed driver beside you. It is valid for 24 months.; Example: A learner may only drive on a freeway when accompanied by a licensed driver.
Licence codes (1, 2, 3 and A, A1, B, EB, C, EC): The learner's licence has three codes: Code 1 for motorcycles, Code 2 for light motor vehicles up to 3 500 kg, Code 3 for heavy vehicles over 3 500 kg. Driving licences use letters: A1 and A for motorcycles, B for light vehicles, EB for light vehicles with a trailer, C1, C, EC1 and EC for heavy vehicles and combinations.; Example: Most first-time learners write the Code 2 test, which leads to a Code B driving licence for an ordinary car.
Licence disc: The round paper disc on the windscreen showing that the vehicle's licence fee is paid. It must be displayed, match the number plates and is valid for 12 months.; Example: A number plate must correspond with the details on the licence disc.
Main beam (bright lights): The high headlight setting that lights the road at least 100 m ahead. Use it only on dark, empty roads; it blinds oncoming drivers and reflects back in fog.; Example: Switch from main beam to dipped beam as soon as you see an oncoming vehicle.
Mini-circle: A small painted or slightly raised circle at a suburban intersection, with yield lines on each approach. Unlike a roundabout, priority is first come, first served: whoever reaches their yield line first goes first, and you drive around, not over, the circle.; Example: If you and another car reach the mini-circle yield lines at the same moment, you give way to the one on your right.
Overtake: To pass a vehicle travelling in the same direction, normally on its right-hand side. You may only overtake where it is safe and legal, and never over a solid line or on a blind rise.; Example: You may not overtake a vehicle that has stopped at a pedestrian crossing.
Painted island: An area of the road marked off with solid white lines and filled with yellow stripes or chevrons. It separates streams of traffic. You may not drive or stop on it.; Example: Where the off-ramp splits from the freeway, a painted island keeps the two streams apart.
Parking brake (handbrake): A separate brake, usually a lever or button, that holds a stationary vehicle still. It is not for slowing a moving car. You must apply it before leaving the vehicle.; Example: Leaving a car unattended without the parking brake set is an offence.
Pedestrian crossing (zebra crossing): A marked place where people cross the road, shown by two white lines or a row of white blocks (the 'zebra'). Drivers must give way to anyone on or about to enter the crossing on their side.; Example: You may not stop within 9 m of a pedestrian crossing.
PrDP (professional driving permit): An extra permit, on top of a driving licence, needed to drive for a living: buses, taxis, goods vehicles over 3 500 kg and dangerous goods. PrDP holders have a stricter alcohol limit.; Example: A taxi driver needs a PrDP and may not drive with 0,02 g or more of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.
Reflector: A small red, white or yellow panel that shines back light from other vehicles' headlights so your vehicle or load is seen at night. Required on the back of vehicles and on projecting loads.; Example: A load sticking out behind your bakkie at night needs a red reflector on it.
Retro-reflective: Material that bounces light straight back towards where it came from, so it looks bright in headlights. Warning triangles and chevron tape on trucks are retro-reflective.; Example: Your warning triangle must be retro-reflective so it shows up in headlights at night.
Reversing: Driving backwards. The law says you may only reverse as far as is necessary, and only when it is safe to do so.; Example: Reversing out of a driveway for 200 m because it is quicker would be reversing further than necessary.
Right of way: The legal right to go first at a junction or when paths cross. Having right of way never excuses causing a crash; a defensive driver gives it up when that is safer.; Example: A driver turning right must give right of way to oncoming traffic going straight.
Roadworthy: A vehicle is roadworthy when everything the law requires (tyres, lights, brakes, windscreen, hooter, mirrors and so on) is present and working. An unroadworthy vehicle may not be driven on a public road.; Example: Tyres with less than 1 mm of tread make a vehicle unroadworthy.
Robot (traffic light): The South African word for a traffic light. Red means stop, green means go if safe, amber means stop unless you are too close to do so safely.; Example: If the robot is out of order, treat the intersection as a four-way stop.
Rumble strip: Rows of raised or grooved strips across the road that make the car vibrate and hum when you drive over them. They wake you up before a hazard such as a stop street or toll plaza.; Example: Rumble strips before a four-way stop warn you to start slowing.
Shoulder: The strip of surfaced road to the left of the yellow edge line. It is there for emergencies and for slow vehicles to let others pass, not for normal driving.; Example: You may move onto the shoulder to let a faster vehicle overtake, but only in daylight, on a single-lane road, when you can see 150 m ahead.
Skid: When the tyres lose grip and the car slides instead of rolling, usually from braking, steering or accelerating too hard on a slippery surface. Ease off and steer gently to recover.; Example: The first few minutes of rain make the road most likely to cause a skid.
Speed hump: A raised bump across the road, built to force drivers to slow down. Warned of by a sign showing a hump and by white triangles painted on the hump itself.; Example: Slow right down before a speed hump or you may damage the car.
Stall: When the engine cuts out because the clutch was released too quickly or the car was in too high a gear at low speed. To recover: clutch down, neutral, restart.; Example: Beginners often stall when pulling off on a hill.
Sunset-to-sunrise lighting rule: The law that headlamps, rear lamps and the number-plate lamp must be switched on between sunset and sunrise, and at any other time when people and vehicles cannot be seen clearly 150 m away.; Example: In heavy rain at midday you must still switch your lights on if visibility drops below 150 m.
T-junction: A junction shaped like the letter T, where your road ends and you must turn left or right onto the crossing road. The road you join normally has priority.; Example: At a T-junction with a yield sign you give way to traffic on the through road before turning.
Tare: The mass of an empty vehicle: no load, no passengers, but with its normal fluids. It is printed on the licence disc.; Example: Load capacity is roughly the GVM minus the tare.
Three-point turn: A way of turning around on a narrow road in three moves: forward to the right, reverse to the left, then forward again. It is part of the practical driving test, and the rules for safe reversing apply.; Example: Use a three-point turn where the road is too narrow for a U-turn in one sweep.
Tow bar: A rigid metal bar fitted to the back of a vehicle for hitching a trailer or towing another vehicle. Unlike a rope, a solid bar allows normal speeds and can tow a vehicle whose brakes do not work.; Example: A broken-down car with no brakes may only be towed with a tow bar, not a rope.
Towing: Pulling another vehicle, trailer or caravan behind yours. The gap may not exceed 3,5 m, a rope or chain limits you to 30 km/h, and nobody may ride in the towed vehicle.; Example: If the tow connection is longer than 1,8 m you must tie a red flag to it.
Traffic circle (roundabout): A large circular junction, usually with a raised island in the middle, that you drive around clockwise. At a roundabout you must yield to traffic coming from your right, which includes vehicles already in the circle.; Example: At a roundabout, wait for a gap in the traffic coming from the right before entering.
U-turn: Turning the car around in the road to face the opposite direction. Allowed only where safe, only across a broken line, and never where a no-U-turn sign is displayed or on a freeway.; Example: You may not make a U-turn across a solid white line.
Verge: The strip of ground beside the road, usually grass or gravel, between the road surface and the pavement or fence. It is not for driving on.; Example: Overtaking by driving on the verge is illegal.
Visibility: How far you can see clearly along the road. Rain, fog, dust, smoke and darkness reduce it. The legal trigger for switching lights on is visibility under 150 m.; Example: In fog, slow down so that you can stop within the distance you can see.
Yield: To give way: slow down and let other road users go first, stopping if necessary. The rules use 'yield' and 'give way' to mean the same thing. A yield sign is a red-and-white triangle pointing down.; Example: At a yield sign you do not have to stop if nothing is coming, but you must be ready to.