A zero limit makes zero sense – experts
THERE’S no denying that South Africans have a problem with drink driving, but lowering the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit to zero would be meaningless and ineffective if the current laws are not properly implemented and enforced first, the Automobile Association (AA) said.
This comes after Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced this week that the government was forging ahead with plans to reduce the limit to zero, and that he hoped that the bill would be passed through Parliament before the end of this year.
However, the AA points out that a zero limit is not going to change people’s behaviour and that courts should instead impose tougher sentences on offenders.
“The current enforcement of drunk drivers will not stop those who regularly exceed the limits because there are simply no consequences for their actions,” the association said.
“Although South Africa’s current BAC limit of 0.05% is not out of line with world standards, the crisis on South Africa’s roads demands a tougher approach. The AA is proposing that the 0.05% limit be reduced to 0.02% which is in place in many countries.”
These sentiments are echoed by Masterdrive managing director Eugene Herbert, who pointed out that a driver who does not respect the current BAC limit is unlikely to respect a lower one.
“We need to accept that a real difference can only be made by changing the drinking behaviour of drunk drivers,” Herbert said.
“A change in behaviour can only be realised once people truly understand how dangerous and destructive drinking and driving can be. The onus is on society, corporates and individuals to initiate this change.”
The AA also pointed out that the zero limit approach does not take into consideration that some medications such as cough syrups may contain alcohol. In these cases drivers may find themselves with criminal records for taking one dose of this medication when it will have no material effect on their driving ability.
“Reducing the blood alcohol limit to zero will not solve the problem of road deaths in South Africa if it is not supported by a thorough, scientific diagnosis of the problem of drink driving with proper statistics which back such a move,” the AA said.
“Behavioural change is needed to solve this problem and that requires proper enforcement of existing laws, and more intensive education of the dangers of drunk driving, both of which do not currently occur”.
The AA said the current analyses of drunk driving in South Africa are fragmented and disparate, with no conclusive findings besides those which call for greater research on the matter.
However, the Department of Transport says the new legislation is motivated by research conducted by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the South African Medical Research Council and Unisa, which showed that alcohol was involved in 27.1 percent of fatal car crashes between 2016 and 2018.
And what about non-alcoholic drinks?
Dietitian, Mbali Mapholi of Mbali Mapholi Inc, said non-alcoholic drinks make a good alternative for individuals who want to reduce their alcohol but maintain the “alcohol in hand” feeling, or who want to be sociable but remain sober for driving.
“In terms of the nutritional profile of non-alcoholic drinks, they might be packed with energy and sometimes more sugar compared to alcoholic drinks. Healthy drinks are drinks that are low in added sugar which is normally drinks that have less than about one teaspoon added sugar per 100ml. On the food or drink label, ingredients are listed by quantity — from highest to lowest.
“People can identify if any drink, including non-alcoholic drinks, is low in sugar by reading the ingredients lists.”
The World Health Organisation, Mapholi says, recommends that “sugar free” should make up less than 10% of adults and children’s total energy intake. This includes sugar added to food and drinks like non-alcoholic drinks.
“Diets that mainly consist of foods and drinks which are high in added sugar may pose serious health risks, including heart disease, stroke and other metabolic diseases associated with high visceral fat.”