The Department of Transport is seeking legislative changes to enforce a strict zero-percent blood alcohol policy to enhance road safety.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy stated that the measure would help reduce the rising number of drunk-driving incidents.
“More than 18 000 people were arrested for drunken driving between March and the end of August this year alone, accounting for a third of all traffic arrests during the period. South Africa cannot normalise the close to 12 000 deaths recorded on the country’s roads annually,” Creecy warned.
She also indicated that the legislative amendments would be made to Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act.
“We are in the process of acquiring approval from the Chief State Law Advisor and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS) approval to secure Cabinet concurrence for this amendment by the end of 2026,” she added.
Creecy reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reducing the country’s annual road fatalities by half by 2030, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
She highlighted the reduction in fatalities of more than 6% between 2025 and 2024 as an indication of the effectiveness of the National Road Safety Campaign.
The Minister appealed for a whole-of-society approach to encouraging and promoting road safety awareness and practising responsible conduct on the country’s roads.
