Drunk drivers will “sober up” for seven days
All those who drive under the influence of alcohol will now spend seven days in jail before being considered for bail.
All those who drive under the influence of alcohol will now spend seven days in jail before being considered for bail. This festive season, the Road Traffic Management Corp (RTMC) has taken action against those arrested for drunk driving.
In a new policy proposal to the Department of Justice, the RTMC asks that driving under the influence (DUI), speeding and reckless or negligent driving be reclassified in terms of the Criminal Procedures Act.
This means motorists arrested for drunk driving will receive harsher treatment from the courts. The proposal recommends that DUI suspects be treated in the same way as those accused of serious crimes such as rape, murder, theft and fraud.
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However; currently, those arrested for DUI are granted bail by the police within hours of being taken into custody.
Makhosini Msibi, CEO of the Road Traffic Management Corp (RTMC), said measures needed to be taken to fight the scourge of DUI, which he said leads to road accidents and death tolls, especially during the festive season.
“We have engaged the department of justice and continue to do so with a view to redefine the traffic offences,” he said.
However, Professor James Grant, of the School of Law at Wits University said an umbrella approach is pointless; a better way to temper road offences would be to have more traffic officers on the roads and to strictly enforce the existing laws.
He believes it is “ridiculous” to equate speeding with murder and rape.
“What will curb crime is not the severity of punishment but the certainty of punishment. So if they could get out onto the road and actually enforce the law, that could make a significant difference,” said Grant.
Msibi said the RTMC is establishing measures against DUI because of the rising financial costs of road accidents for the government. Last year alone, the 14,750 recorded road accidents cost the taxpayer R172bn, an increase of R9bn from the previous year.
And he says this money could have been invested in essential services. He said the leading cause of accidents was drunk driving, followed by reckless driving, vehicles that were not roadworthy and motorists who obtained their driver’s licenses illegally.
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