No bail but jail for motorists who drink and drive
The Department wants to reclassify drunken driving to a Schedule 5 offence, which means you could sit behind bars if found guilty.
The Mogale City Traffic Department has decided to once again warn motorists about the consequences of driving while under the influence, and drinking while driving, partly because the number of road deaths increased by 51 per cent during the recent Easter weekend, with 235 people losing their lives in comparison to the 2016 Easter weekend, when 156 people lost their lives.
Also read: Motorists encouraged to drive dry
Discussions between the Departments of Transport and Justice regarding mandatory punishment for all drunk drivers in South Africa are at an advanced stage. The system will include a two-year jail sentence with no bail if a motorist is caught.
The Minister of Transport, Joe Maswanganyi, said that the introduction of minimum sentences for negligent and reckless driving was part of the Department’s long-term strategy to curb road casualties. The Department wants to reclassify drunken driving from a Schedule 3 offence (which is less severe), to a Schedule 5 offence. Schedule 5 offences include murder, attempted murder, treason, rape, corruption, extortion and fraud, and sentences can be as long as 15 years in jail. Maswanganyi also said that the Departments will show no mercy and will deny bail for offending motorists, thus ensuring that offenders will not only not get bail as easily as in the past – they will also spend more time behind bars.
Also read: What is the legal drinking limit
According to the Mogale City Traffic Department spokesperson, Papi Motaung, the municipality is reclaiming the city’s streets, and will leave no stone unturned from now on.
Steps the Mogale City Traffic Department will take if they suspect that a motorist is under the influence of alcohol:
• Ask the motorist to blow into the breathalyser
• Arrest a person who is over the limit
• Take the accused to the Traffic Department
• The accused will then appear in court
• The accused will have a criminal record if found guilty
How will motorists be tested for alcohol usage?
Motorists will either be taken to the Traffic Department’s offices where a qualified nursing sister will test their blood, or they will be taken to the nearest hospital where they will have their blood tested.
What is the legal blood alcohol limit?
For persons driving public transport, the reading on the breathalyser may not exceed 0.02. For ordinary motorists, it may not exceed more than 0.05.
Motorists are therefore advised not to drink and drive, and so avoid being arrested and having a criminal record.
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