Tough measures for drunk drivers
29 July 2010, 14:04
By Bheki Mbanjwa
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport will lobby for changes to sections of national traffic legislation in a move designed to make life tougher for drunk drivers.
Transport MEC Willies Mchunu announced on Wednesday that his department was spearheading the campaign for amendments to Section 35 (3) of the National Road Traffic Act so that the suspension, endorsement or even cancellation of driver's licence became a compulsory against any person convicted of drunk driving.
The recommendation was made by a provincial technical committee set up by Mchunu to investigate ways in which traffic laws could be made harder in KZN.
Mchunu said that there was a need for drastic measures because fines and other punitive measures already in place were no longer a deterrent.
"The breaking of laws on our roads continues with arrogance every day and every year," he said.
"The arrogance seems to derive from the knowledge, by these lawbreakers, that they will be fined and not jailed. After paying their fines they continue to drive their cars freely and may even be involved in more law breaking."
Traffic authorities, Mchunu warned, also needed help from an "activist judiciary" if they were to succeed in curbing the problem of drunk driving.
Citing the example of a Scottburgh magistrate, who recently fined a motorist R70 000 and suspended his licence for six months, Mchunu said that more judicial officers needed to take a tough stance on drunk drivers.
Speaking at the Umdloti RTI station near Verulam at the launch of the provincial Easter road safety plan, he said that all traffic officers in the province had been instructed to be relentless in their pursuit of drunk drivers over the Easter holiday period and throughout the year.
The call for such amendments to the law has received support from the traffic authorities in the Western Cape as well as organisations opposed to drinking and driving.
South Africans Against Drunk Driving (Sadd) welcomed the move.
In addition to the removal of licences Sadd proposes that offenders' cars be fitted with an "Alcohol Ignition Interlock" - an immobiliser device which prevents the car from starting when being driven by a person with alcohol in the bloodstream.
"For drunk drivers who kill and/or severely injure, Sadd is asking for jail sentences and alcohol treatment," said Caro Smit, the director of Sadd.
Earlier, Mchunu unveiled a new alcohol evidence testing centre at the station which is the second of its kind in the province after the one in Pietermaritzburg.
It is fitted with Drager Alcotest machines and a closed-circuit television network which will allow for the testing process to be monitored.
Police Inspector Thuli Nhlengethwa explained that the centre was fitted with technology that would allow the electronic capture of a motorist's alcohol test results, fingerprints and copies of driver's licences, thus reducing piles of files.
"The system is linked to the Pietermaritzburg centre and when you are caught for the same offence in Pietermaritzburg it will show immediately that you are a repeat offender."
South African Breweries, which sponsored the centre, has already indicated a willingness to sponsor two more in other parts of the province.
Vincent Maphai, the corporate affairs director of SAB's beer division, said: "As SAB we are not proud of any corpse that arises from the abuse of our product."
Meanwhile, KZN Department of Transport head, Chris Hlabisa, said that traffic officers in the province would be out in full force this easter holiday period.
"Apart from targeting unroadworthy vehicles and drunk drivers, the traffic department "will be hammering hard on luxury coaches such as SA Roadlink", he said.
The bus company has come under fire in recent months because of problems with its fleet.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport will lobby for changes to sections of national traffic legislation in a move designed to make life tougher for drunk drivers.
Transport MEC Willies Mchunu announced on Wednesday that his department was spearheading the campaign for amendments to Section 35 (3) of the National Road Traffic Act so that the suspension, endorsement or even cancellation of driver's licence became a compulsory against any person convicted of drunk driving.
The recommendation was made by a provincial technical committee set up by Mchunu to investigate ways in which traffic laws could be made harder in KZN.
Mchunu said that there was a need for drastic measures because fines and other punitive measures already in place were no longer a deterrent.
"The breaking of laws on our roads continues with arrogance every day and every year," he said.
"The arrogance seems to derive from the knowledge, by these lawbreakers, that they will be fined and not jailed. After paying their fines they continue to drive their cars freely and may even be involved in more law breaking."
Traffic authorities, Mchunu warned, also needed help from an "activist judiciary" if they were to succeed in curbing the problem of drunk driving.
Citing the example of a Scottburgh magistrate, who recently fined a motorist R70 000 and suspended his licence for six months, Mchunu said that more judicial officers needed to take a tough stance on drunk drivers.
Speaking at the Umdloti RTI station near Verulam at the launch of the provincial Easter road safety plan, he said that all traffic officers in the province had been instructed to be relentless in their pursuit of drunk drivers over the Easter holiday period and throughout the year.
The call for such amendments to the law has received support from the traffic authorities in the Western Cape as well as organisations opposed to drinking and driving.
South Africans Against Drunk Driving (Sadd) welcomed the move.
In addition to the removal of licences Sadd proposes that offenders' cars be fitted with an "Alcohol Ignition Interlock" - an immobiliser device which prevents the car from starting when being driven by a person with alcohol in the bloodstream.
"For drunk drivers who kill and/or severely injure, Sadd is asking for jail sentences and alcohol treatment," said Caro Smit, the director of Sadd.
Earlier, Mchunu unveiled a new alcohol evidence testing centre at the station which is the second of its kind in the province after the one in Pietermaritzburg.
It is fitted with Drager Alcotest machines and a closed-circuit television network which will allow for the testing process to be monitored.
Police Inspector Thuli Nhlengethwa explained that the centre was fitted with technology that would allow the electronic capture of a motorist's alcohol test results, fingerprints and copies of driver's licences, thus reducing piles of files.
"The system is linked to the Pietermaritzburg centre and when you are caught for the same offence in Pietermaritzburg it will show immediately that you are a repeat offender."
South African Breweries, which sponsored the centre, has already indicated a willingness to sponsor two more in other parts of the province.
Vincent Maphai, the corporate affairs director of SAB's beer division, said: "As SAB we are not proud of any corpse that arises from the abuse of our product."
Meanwhile, KZN Department of Transport head, Chris Hlabisa, said that traffic officers in the province would be out in full force this easter holiday period.
"Apart from targeting unroadworthy vehicles and drunk drivers, the traffic department "will be hammering hard on luxury coaches such as SA Roadlink", he said.
The bus company has come under fire in recent months because of problems with its fleet.
- This article was originally published on page 2 of The Daily News on April 01, 2010
Durban
