Recently Witbank SAPS arrested a suspect for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol but what does this mean for the safety of other drivers on the road and the consequences a drunk driver might face? The arrest was made on October 3 at about 01:00.
Police were on an early morning patrol in the Central Business District (CBD), when they allegedly noticed a suspicious silver Polo driving down Northey Street and pulled the vehicle over. The police apparently suspected the driver of drinking as he smelled heavily of alcohol. The suspect was arrested and immediately taken to hospital for a blood test as stipulated by law.
This is just a recent example of a much bigger problem as South Africa Against Drunken Driving which is a non-profit organisation (NGO) states that lives taken due to intoxicated drivers and accident on our roads are considerably higher than death caused by murder and drugs combined.
Many NGOs are lobbying for more effective measures to prevent these incidents for example SADD aims for:
*All convicted persons to automatically have their licences removed and be sent for alcohol education and/or treatment with properly trained addiction counsellors.
*Another point on their agenda is to have every driver be tested for alcohol or drugs at every crash scene, and for all SAPS and Traffic Police to have screening breathalyzers in their vehicles as well as for ‘accidents’ to be called ‘crashes’ as per the UN’s recommendation because they happen for a reason.
These are just some of the many things that could stem the tide of deaths on our roads.
Last week WITBANK NEWS reported on seven culpable homicides that occurred in eMalahleni over a single weekend. The causes of these incidents is for the court to decide, but the victims leave behind family and friends who are forced to deal with the loss and wondering if there could have been something to change the outcome of the collision.
Mr Samson Sili, who died when his vehicle collided head on with a taxi on the Bethal Road, was one such victim. After the collision on September 26 his brother Sipho Sili identified him and his funeral was held later that week.
