‘Drunk drivers must spend more time behind bars’
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has called for stricter bail conditions for drunk drivers.
The corporation wants motorists caught driving under the influence of alcohol to spend at least seven days behind bars before they are eligible for bail.
"This comes after when we noticed that a high number of accidents are happen because of drunk driving. And yet the drunk drivers are getting away quiet lightly after they have been arrested. They get to spend at least four hours until they sober up and their allowed on the roads again,” says spokesperson Simon Zwane.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately 58% of road crashes are linked to alcohol.
Further research from Arrive Alive also indicates that 50% of people who die on South Africa's roads, have a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit.
The RTMC now wants these type of traffic offences to be reclassified.
“Offences should be classified to schedule five offences because they are not taken seriously by the courts. Once they are reclassified then people will be able to stay longer awaiting bail. We are also proposing the introduction of a minimum sentence,” says Zwane.