RTMC assures motorists that they will not be unfairly arrested after eating hot cross buns
Spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), Simon Zwane says the public should be aware that the device used is a screening instrument and the first results obtained from it have to be validated through further tests before an arrest can be made.
POLOKWANE – A concerned RTMC says they want to assure the public and the fraternity in its totality, that there is no sinister motive to unfairly prosecute the public with an untested measuring instrument.
This, after a viral video showing a traffic officer testing positive for alcohol consumption after eating a hot cross bun.
Read more: [WATCH] Hot Cross Bun alters breathalyzer machine results, sending social media into a frenzy
Spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), Simon Zwane says the corporation would like to assure the public that they will not be arrested unfairly after eating hot cross buns.
“The device used is a screening instrument and the first results obtained from it have to be validated through further tests before an arrest can be made. The purpose of alcohol testing device is to determine the driver’s blood alcohol concentration in the body specimen. The video shows mouth alcohol concentration which is not sufficient evidence to charge a motorist for drunken driving,” he explained in a statement.
Read more: Checkers responds to viral video stating their hot cross buns are alcohol free
Zwane goes on to say that it is standard practise for an alleged drunken driver to be taken to an evidentiary breath alcohol tester (EBAT), after blowing into the screener which the video shows and register a reading over the limit. An EBAT has equipment that is calibrated by the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA) for accuracy and the results are the only way to determine whether to effect an arrest or not. Zwane adds that the EBAT machine requires for an officer to take two breath samples with 15 to 20 minutes allowance between the tests.
“The EBAT machine will record an error where mouth alcohol is detected. This will be the case with the video as shown where an officer immediately blew into the screener without waiting period. Where there is sufficient evidence from the EBAT machine to conclude that the alleged driver is intoxicated, the results of a test conducted on the EBAT machine will then be used for prosecution.”
“The validity and accuracy of the evidential breath alcohol tester, recently launched by the national Minister of Transport, is in no way affected by what is shown in the video,” he explained.
The RTMC says it is regrettable that the video has surfaced and caused alarm at this critical period of the year when high traffic volumes and alcohol consumption are expected over the long weekend.
Any information obtained from an alcohol screener cannot be used in court for prosecution purposes other than it being used as detection for alcohol consumption.
“The RTMC wants to assure the public and the fraternity in its totality that there is no sinister motive to unfairly prosecute the public with an untested measuring instrument. We hope that the concerned authority will take appropriate corrective action to prevent a repeat of a similar incident,” Zwane concluded.
