A push to impose a zero blood-alcohol limit on South African motorists is gaining momentum, with organised labour and one of the country’s biggest alcohol producers throwing their weight behind Transport Minister Barbara Creecy’s proposed law change.
Creecy wants Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act amended to scrap the legal allowance for motorists to consume alcohol before driving, arguing that South Africa can no longer afford to tolerate drinking and driving while thousands continue to die on the country’s roads.
The proposal comes as the country grapples with a devastating road safety crisis, with more than 18 000 motorists arrested for drunken driving between March and August this year alone.
The figure accounts for about a third of all traffic arrests during the period, while close to 12 000 people are killed on South Africa’s roads annually. The Road Traffic Management Corporation estimates that alcohol contributes to at least 27% of these fatalities.
Now, the proposal has secured an unlikely but significant ally, the alcohol industry itself.
