Where the R310 runs
The R310 starts in Stellenbosch, runs west past Vlottenburg and the Spier and Meerlust estates, crosses the N2 near Macassar and continues as Baden Powell Drive along the False Bay coast toward Muizenberg and Strandfontein. Most visitors meet it in two very different halves: the winelands half between Stellenbosch and the N2, and the coastal Cape Flats half beyond it. When people search "is the R310 safe", they usually mean the second half.
Which stretch carries the risk
The Baden Powell section between the N2 crossing and Strandfontein is the one that generates the warnings. It is a fast, largely unlit road running past informal settlements with easy pedestrian access to the verges, and it has a long-standing pattern of stone-throwing at vehicles, objects placed in the lane and opportunistic robbery at standstill traffic. Almost all reported incidents cluster at dusk and after dark.
The Stellenbosch half, by contrast, is a conventional agricultural road with steady traffic, farm entrances and speed enforcement. Its real hazards are pedestrians, tractors and drivers leaving tastings.
When it is fine
Between roughly 07:00 and 16:30 the whole R310 is an ordinary drive used by thousands of commuters. Keep windows up and doors locked, keep bags in the boot rather than on the seat, leave space at intersections so you are never boxed in, and do not stop for anyone flagging you down or for debris in the lane — drive around it if it is safe and continue to a petrol station. From late afternoon onward, treat the Baden Powell half as closed to you.
The safer alternative
For Stellenbosch to Cape Town or the airport, use the R310 only as far as the N2 and do the long leg on the N2 westbound — a lit, patrolled, busy dual carriageway. Alternatively, leave Stellenbosch north on the R304 to the N1 and come in on the N1. Either way costs a few minutes over the coastal shortcut. If you want the False Bay coastal drive itself, do the M3 and Boyes Drive through Muizenberg instead — same views, far busier road.
Stellenbosch to the airport
This is the journey where navigation apps most often send visitors along Baden Powell, because it looks quicker on the map. Stay on the N2 to the airport turn-off, and use the signed airport approach rather than cutting through Borcherds Quarry Road. Landing late? Read our guide to driving from the airport at night.
Driving basics
This site covers which routes are safe and when. For the practical side of driving here — road rules, car hire and parking — see our sister site Drive Cape Town.