It’s essential to recognise that drunk driving is the biggest single contributor to road fatalities in South Africa. I have seen unreleased morgue reports that 60-70% of drivers and pedestrians killed in road crashes have a blood alcohol (BA) content in excess of 0.08g/100ml.
Take into account that around 40% of all fatalities in SA are pedestrians, it becomes clear it’s not only drivers that are of concern.
Below is a list of seven steps that could curb drunk driving as well as drunk pedestrians and properly enforce the law:
- Make driving with a BA of 0.05 to 0.08g/100 ml subject to a fine of about R200.
- Make driving with a BA of 0.08 to 0.12g/100 ml subject to a fine of R1000 with a written warning that is kept on your driving record (eNatis) for three years (these record also being available to your insurer).
- Make it illegal for a pedestrian on a roadway, other than on a pavement or legal pedestrian crossing, to have a blood alcohol content in excess of 0.08g/100 ml. Minimum fine of R200.
- Arrest a driver, or pedestrian on a roadway, with a BA in excess of 0.12 g/100 ml. He/she must appear in court.
- Make breath-alcohol testing legal but also apply a BA test for those cases with an equivalent BA above 0.12g/100ml.
- Visibly and dramatically increase the enforcement of drunken driving.
- Make a breathalyser test mandatory for any driver or pedestrian involved in a collision resulting in injuries or deaths.
There has been talk that in the not so distant future of South African drivers, anyone caught under the influence will be given a minimum of 15 years in jail, for a first time offence.