Motorists in Cape Town may find themselves staring down cardboard cut-outs of traffic officers in the city, as officials continue to use the creative policing method to deter speeding.

Road users took to social media to post footage of the police cut-outs, which according to the city’s traffic services spokesperson, have been in use since 2017.

A similar tactic was used in Gauteng in 2017, when Arrive Alive posted pictures to social media of cardboard cut-outs of Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) traffic cars along sections of the N1 and N4 in Gauteng and surrounds.

The TMPD said at the time that the initiative was undertaken by the Bakwena road agency – which operates sections of the N1 and N4 in Tshwane, Bela-Bela, Rustenburg, and Zeerust – to curb speeding during the Easter period.

Many social media users responded positively to the initiative, saying it was a good way to slow down reckless and speeding drivers.

Cut out speed cop filmed in Cape Town Good to see SA keeping up with the latest technology 👌😂 Posted by South Africa Live on Wednesday, 21 August 2019

Cape Town cut-outs

Gauteng cut-outs

New traffic laws

Policing traffic laws are under close scrutiny in South Africa at the moment following the signing into law of the Aarto Amendment Bill into law by president Cyril Ramaphosa.

The act establishes a new point demerit system with drivers punished for breaking various road rules.

The system works by penalising violators of the country’s traffic laws with fines and points, weighted to the severity of the offence.

One drivers have been docked 12 points, on the 13th point their licence is suspended for a period of three months for every point over 12 (ie, three months for the 13th point, six months for the 14th point, etc).

Speeding can result in fines starting at R750, moving to an amount determined by the courts for greater violations – with docked points ranging between two and six.

While the new road laws have been met with criticism, even the critics agree that something needs to be done to curb habitual speeding and the many road deaths taking place on South Africa’s roads.

Read: Stop opposing government and rather make the new road laws work, says transport committee