The Department of Transport plans to amend Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act NRTA to eliminate the current legal alcohol consumption limit, effectively stating that any level of alcohol in the blood while driving will be considered illegal, reports Cape town Etc .
Presently, South African law penalises general drivers for exceeding a blood alcohol concentration BAC of 0.05g/100ml, while professional drivers face stricter limits of 0.02g/100ml.
However, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy emphasised that the driving and drinking policy, which has remained unchanged for nearly three decades, no longer reflects the realities of modern South Africa.
Our driving and drinking policy was formulated almost 30 years ago. In today's South Africa, it is totally unacceptable that there is a law that allows people to drink and then drive, Creecy stated.
