White-knuckle Driving
Driving in Mpumalanga, Gauteng (the province including and surrounding Johannesburg and Pretoria), and KwaZulu-Natal is rather more exciting than one might rationally expect. Unlike the Western Cape, whose drivers seemed quite civilized to me, the antics of drivers from the northeast of the country are almost certainly certifiably mad when they get behind the wheel. I've driven in upwards of 30 or 40 countries in my time, but nowhere else have I felt I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when I came to a halt after three or four hours on a South African highway. The problems arise principally when you venture on one of the so-called N-roads or national highways. Built to western standards, the roads are well-engineered and well-maintained. Fine. Now you add lots -- and I do mean lots -- of fast cars and drivers who show absolutely no respect for the posted 120 km/hr (75 m/hr) speed...
