Drinking and driving in South Africa is not to be taken lightly, and is seen as a serious offence.
If you’re found guilty of drunk driving in South Africa, you could face up to six years in jail. You could also be liable for fines of up to R120,000 and your driver’s licence may be suspended. You will also have a criminal record, which can have serious ramifications for the rest of your life. The worst case scenario is that you could kill someone else on the road, your loved ones or yourself.
The rule of thumb for any motorist is a maximum of one unit per alcohol per hour.
One unit is equal to 0,02 g blood alcohol. Biologically, the human body can only process one unit every hour, despite drinking lots of water, strong black coffee or taking a cold shower. These tricks do nothing to help sober a person up. Of course, it depends on body mass and if a driver had something to eat or not.
In South Africa, a person is over the legal limit if their breath alcohol content is in excess of 0,24 mg per 1000 ml or his blood alcohol concentration in excess of 0,05 g per 100ml.
All calculations are done for an adult male, weighing approximately 68kg and who has eaten a meal.
NB: This is a rough estimation only, as each person metabolises alcohol at different rates and times. Women are affected more, quicker and on smaller amounts of alcohol than men, so need to drink less and slower than men.
For example, a woman who weighs 45kg and drinks one glass of wine, her Blood Alcohol Content could be 0,045 g. If she had not had anything to eat, she could be over the legal limit. One unit = 0,02g in 100ml blood, or 0,10 mg per 1000ml in the breath. It takes the body approximately one hour or more to get rid of one unit.
If you drink two cans of beer in one hour, both men and women will be over the legal limit and if you drink five double or 10 single brandy shots, you will only be able to drive safely about 10 hours later.
Alcohol units per drink type can roughly be calculated as follows:
• 1 x 75ml glass of wine = 1 unit.
• 1 x 250ml glass of wine = 3,3 units.
• 1 x shot/shooter = 1/2 unit in most instances.
• 1 x spirit cooler = about 1,25 units.
• 1 x beer = 1,5 units or possibly more.
• 1 x cider = 2 units.
• 1 x 25ml tot of spirits = 1 unit.
• 1 x cocktail = between 2 and 4 units.
(Source: Drunk Driving Laws in South Africa).
According to Dr Charles Parry of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Group under the Medical Research Council (MRC), 40% of drivers who die on the road have alcohol levels in excess of 0,08 g / 100ml blood.
The law not only prohibits a driver to drive, but no person on a public road shall occupy a driver’s seat of a motor vehicle, the engine of which is running, while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or a drug having a narcotic effect. And no person on a public road shall occupy a driver’s seat of a motor vehicle, the engine of which is running, while the concentration of alcohol in any specimen of blood taken from his or her body is not less than 0,05 g per 100ml.
Remember that your driving skills are impaired after even 1 unit, so it is safer not to drink any alcohol at all if you drive. Drink slowly and one unit per hour maximum. Eat before you drink.
Remember, you don’t have to drink to have a good time!
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