20 December 2006
Pretoria: "About 60% of all road fatalities involving pedestrians and
drivers are alcohol-related with 0,05 milligram (mg) alcohol in their blood or
more. As the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) in the driver increases, chances
of being involved in a crash also rise. The increase in crash rate that goes
with increasing BAC is progressive. Compared to a sober driver the crash rate
of a driver with a BAC of 0,08 mg is 2,7 times of that of sober drivers.
"When a driver has a BAC of 1,5 mg, his crash rate is 22 times than that of
a sober driver. Not only the crash rate grows rapidly with increasing BAC, the
crash also becomes more severe. With a BAC of 1,5 mg the crash rate for fatal
crashes is about 200 times than that of sober drivers" says the Department
of
Transport's Arrive Alive Campaign.
Arrive Alive road safety tips:
1. Alcohol diminishes one's driving skills at all possible levels.
2. The driving task can be divided in three different levels:
(a) At the lowest level, there are the tasks dealing with keeping a proper
speed and keeping course (steering, accelerating, braking, etc.). Most of the
skills related to this level, such as tracking performance, reaction times, and
visual detection, already begin to deteriorate at a BAC below 0,5 mg.
(b) At the intermediate level, decisions are made dealing with concrete
traffic situations (can I safely overtake that other car, do I have to give
way, etc.). Skills related to this level are dividing attention, scanning
capabilities and more in general, information processing. These skills also
begin to deteriorate at very low BAC levels.
(c) At the highest level, decisions are made whether one should drive or
not. It is well known that after having consumed alcohol, self-control becomes
less stringent and when even a little bit drunk, people are more inclined to
think that they are still able to drive safely.
The problem of drink driving is not new and many measures have been taken.
Despite the fact that drunk drivers now know that they can be caught and that
sanctions are tough, as well as public opinion regarding drink driving having
changed considerably, we now need wholehearted societal disapproval of drink
driving.
At the core of the measures are the legal limits, which are 0,02 mg for
professional drivers and 0,05 mg for other drivers. Traffic authorities, are
intensifying their efforts on implementing the Rolling Enforcement Plan
co-ordinated by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), will:
* Do more random breath tests for all drivers and not only for 'suspected'
drivers
* Raise the chance of catching drunk drivers by carrying out more random
roadside breath tests (especially at times and on spots where drink driving is
expected)
* Encourage responsible drinking.
The law says:
If you are apprehended and found to be over the legal limit, you do not have
an option of paying a fine. You will be arrested and taken to a police station
where you will be booked in jail. The maximum penalty for drunk driving is R120
000 and or 6 years imprisonment. You will have a criminal record, which counts
against you for the rest of your life. Your driving license can also be
suspended. Insurers can refuse to pay your claim, as you will have committed a
criminal act. Drunk drivers and speedsters are standing a good chance of
forfeiting their vehicles to the state.
Enquiries:
Collen Msibi
Cell: 082 414 5279
Ntau Letebele
Cell: 082 923 9194
Thabo Tsholetsane
Cell: 082 496 5354 (RTMC)
Issued by: Department of Transport
20 December 2006
Source: SAPA
