Zero-tolerance drink-driving and road safety in South Africa: What are the options?

Abstract

Alcohol is a major contributing factor to the burden of road traffic crashes and injuries in South Africa. There has been an increase in political interest and engagement on the issue of drink-driving in recent months following government restrictions on the sale and public consumption of alcohol during the COVID-19 lockdowns along with proposed zero-tolerance drink-driving legislation. In this paper, we critically examine global research and experiences with the adoption of zero-tolerance approaches to drink-driving along with key South African contextual considerations to provide evidence-based and contextually relevant recommendations for advancing zero-tolerance drink-driving legislation in the country. There is significant evidence to support the adoption of zero-tolerance legislation but at a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) threshold limit for the general driving population set at 0.02 g/100 mL (rather than the zero-BAC limit proposed through the Road Traffic Amendment Bill) to allow for variance in testing. Recommendations centre on the proposed legislation incorporating a gradualist approach and its location within a broader zero-tolerance approach that includes other complementary interventions to enable implementation.

Road Traffic Injuries in South Africa: A Complex Global Health Crisis

“…South Africa ranks sixth globally in the amount of alcohol consumed per drinker, and 6.4% of all deaths are associated with alcohol, and once again this disproportionately impacts those from lower socio-economic groups. Although the accuracy of crash data is disputed, it is estimated at least 27% of driver-error attributed fatal crashes are caused by alcohol intoxication [6]. Early legislative steps have been…”