Early Warning - Tow Truckers 'Jam' Cellphones at accidents

EARLY WARNING

Tow Truckers ‘jam’ Cellphones at accidents.

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting March 2009.

This is one of the most disgusting stories that I have found the need to tell! A recent newspaper article penned by Natasha Joseph has revealed that apparently some of the tow truck drivers in Cape Town are using some sort of electronic device that jams the signal to and from a cellphone. Apparently they are doing this to make sure that people who have been involved in accidents cannot phone alternative tow truck drivers.

Now here is my opinion – that, in itself is not the end of the world although I am a firm believer in free enterprise and all that that goes with. The problem however is that this typically means that the person involved in the accident or even witnesses or passengers or passers by also cannot contact an ambulance or the police or family or friends for assistance.

How terrible is that? I mean what if someone actually dies as a direct result of no-one being able to summon assistance? Who then becomes responsible? How would you feel if you found out that your loved one passed away because nobody could dial out to get hold of help, because someone jammed the signal? I mean, what kind of people do this? Do people actually have nothing better to do than to think up things like this? Clearly making money is more important than a person’s life!

You do understand of course, that if this is happening in Cape Town, chances are that it is also happening in Gauteng and probably Durban and well . . . . anywhere where there are tow truck drivers.

Apparently though – there is a way around it – if you move some 30 meters or so from where you are trying to call, and try again, chances are that you might then be able to make the call – provided of course that they then don’t get electronic devices with a longer range.

Satra (South African Towing & Recovery Association), chair Andre Van Der Merwe ‘has urged anyone who has had this problem at an accident site to report this to Icasa’, writes Natasha.

Quite frankly, I wouldn’t just report them, I would lay a charge of sorts against them as well.

Stories like this make me despair of the human race!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za