The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) has heavily criticised the government’s plans to introduce a zero-tolerance stance on drunk driving.<\/p>\n
The proposed change is included in the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill, which is currently being considered in parliament.<\/p>\n
The amendments effectively change the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit for drivers from 0.05 grams per 100 millilitres to 0.00g\/100ml, and the breath alcohol concentration from 0.24g\/1,000ml also to zero.<\/p>\n
In a presentation to parliament this week, the AA said the reduction of blood and breath alcohol levels to zero is unlikely to achieve substantial positive changes.<\/p>\n
This is because many of the country’s problems with drunk driving relate to enforcement – and not the regulations themselves, it said.<\/p>\n
It added that the new regulations do not account for ‘drunk walking’, and that pedestrians are the user group with most fatalities on South African roads.<\/p>\n
“The level of enforcement of drink-driving laws has a direct effect on the incidence of drinking and driving. Increasing drivers\u2019 perception of the risk of being detected is the most effective means of deterring drinking and driving,” the AA said, citing data from the World Health Organisation.<\/p>\n
“Breath-testing devices that provide objective evidence of blood alcohol content are a very effective enforcement tool. The implementation of random breath testing and sobriety checkpoints for drivers has been seen to be effective.”<\/p>\n
However, the association said that legislation without policing is ineffective.<\/p>\n
Arrested for using mouthwash\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The AA said that the proposals also fail to account for gut fermentation syndrome, also known as auto-brewery syndrome<\/strong> – a condition characterised by the fermentation of ingested carbohydrates in the gastrointestinal tract of the body, which could temporarily trigger a spike in an alcohol reading on a breathalyser.<\/p>\n