A motorist who allegedly refused to pay R42 at a tollgate drove off a steep cliff and survived to tell the tale. It is unclear why he plunged off Chapman's Peak, south of Cape Town, after being confronted about failing to pay the tariff.The driver was identified as a 32-year-old man from Johannesburg who recently moved to Cape Town for work.Tow truck owner Shane Meyer, who was at the scene of the accident, said the driver was stopped by toll route officials, who called the police after he "gave them attitude"."As soon as the police came there.[they] got out of the vehicle and started to walk towards him and he just put down foot and went off the mountain."Meyer said the man was flung from his Toyota Etios.After more than an hour of searching and waiting for better light conditions the driver was finally spotted on the slopes.Craig Lambinon of the National Sea Rescue Institute said rescuers were called at 5.14am yesterday to help the police, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services, Western Cape government health emergency services and Cape Medical Response.Two NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed from a sea rescue craft onto the shoreline, where they located the crumpled vehicle about 50m from the water's edge.The driver was found by NSRI rescue swimmers about a third of the way from the roadside."The man was conscious and in a stable condition but he suffered head injuries, cuts and bruises," said Lambinon.An EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter helped to hoist him to safety after a complicated rescue operation, Lambinon said.Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel André Traut said police were investigating the accident.Mark Jacobs, general manager of Entilini Operations, which manages the tollgate, said the man was "very lucky" to be alive.Jacobs said he would have to account for why he "deliberately" drove off the mountain. The notoriously winding road has been the subject of a number of television adverts promoting the superior control of German luxury sedans.Meyer said not every car had fared as well as those showcased in Mercedes-Benz and BMW adverts.Meyer said: "Many a vehicle has gone down there."I think there were two [vehicles] that went down there last year at exactly the same spot.''A guy also survived and he's still around as far as I know,'' said Meyer. - Additional reporting TMG Digital..