Breathalysers: it is the how that counts
While the City of Mbombela's traffic department may have access to 17 breathalysers to use while on duty, experts have cautioned that it is the way in which the tests are done and how often they are carried out that truly make a difference.
“The type of breathalyser kits being used by the department is important as there are some kits that can be used as evidence in a court of law, while others cannot,” said Caro Smit, founder of South Africans Against Drunk Driving (SADD).
Mbombela municipal spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said, however, that the results of the breathalysers used by the traffic department do not stand up in court without a blood alcohol test.
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“Breathalysers are as important as any other means for officials to be empowered in terms of the law to effect arrests in drunken driving cases, but it should be noted that these results do not stand in court of law without having subjected a drunken driving suspect to draw blood,” said Ngala.
He added that the breathalysers are kept in the traffic storeroom at the municipal offices.
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However, Smit said while 17 of these kits for the City were adequate, what is most important is how often the tests are carried out in the public and what law enforcement does with the results.
“The conviction rate for driving under the influence is between two to seven per cent for the country. It is important that something is done when a breathalyser shows that a driver is over the legal alcohol limit. If there are no licence suspensions, fines or convictions, then the number of kits doesn’t really matter because it appears the law does not have any teeth,” she said.
According to Ngala, breathalysers are used “as and when required in any event when traffic officers are on duty and deem it necessary”, as there are reasonable indicators that show the official that the motorist is suspected to be driving under the influence of alcohol.
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“Traffic officers are deployed daily on a 16-hour shift, except on Sundays. However, there are often monthly roadblocks and operations outside normal shifts that are planned jointly with the SAPS to deal with drunken driving cases, among others.”
Ngala added that due to the pandemic, over the past few months the traffic division has fully directed all its resources and focus on enforcing Covid-19 regulations, and drunken driving violations are not excluded.
