Crisis on our roads: A three-decade struggle with drink-driving in South Africa

Drinking and driving has been one of South Africa’s most persistent and deadly public health and safety challenges. While we have made some legislative strides over the past three decades, the cultural acceptance of alcohol – and it’s devastating impact on road safety – continues to claim thousands of lives each year.

In the 1990s, it wasn’t uncommon to see people enjoying drinks over lunch and then get behind the wheel with little concern. Today, we have stricter drink-driving laws, better knowledge of alcohol’s effects, and more vehicles on the road, yet fatal alcohol-related crashes remain alarmingly high. South Africa still has one of the highest rates of road fatalities in the world.

So, what’s changed, and what hasn’t? The answer lies in the complex relationship between social norms, economic pressures, mental health struggles, and enforcement failures. To understand where we’re going, we need to look back and acknowledge how far we still have to go.

Then vs now - a shifting culture of alcohol use

In the 1990s, alcohol was widely accepted in public and professional life. Drinking during the day was considered normal, even at business meetings, and few questioned the health risks or safety implications. The legal Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit for drivers was 0.35mg per litre, significantly higher than today’s thresholds.

Since then, regulations have become stricter. Today, the BAC limit is 0.24 mg/l for general drivers and just 0.10mg/l for professional drivers such as taxi, bus, and truck drivers, which means more than one or two 300 ml beers at 5% alcohol or one to two glasses of wine at 120 ml in an hour can put general drivers over the limit, while even a single drink might be too much for professional drivers.

Public knowledge about the dangers of alcohol has increased but paradoxically, so has consumption. South Africa now ranks fifth globally for alcohol use among drinkers, with the average drinker consuming 28.9 litres of pure alcohol per year. Even more concerning is the 59% of drinkers who binge drink, consuming more than 60 grams of pure alcohol in one sitting at least once a month. While legislation has evolved, the enforcement and cultural mindset haven’t kept up - and that’s where the real problem lies.

Laws without enforcement are doomed to fall flat

South Africa’s drink-driving crisis illustrates that laws without enforcement are largely ineffective. Despite lowered BAC limits, 27.1% of fatal crashes still involve alcohol. In many of these incidents, drivers are found to have BAC levels up to three times the legal limit.

Why? Because without consistent roadside checks, visible policing, and meaningful consequences, the law loses its power to deter. Meanwhile, rising unemployment, poverty, and untreated mental health conditions have created an environment where alcohol becomes a form of escape, often at the expense of public safety. Stricter rules cannot compensate for systemic failures, and without a firm foundation of enforcement and education, lowering the legal limit does little more than look good on paper.

Shifting norms takes time and strategy

Shifting cultural norms doesn’t happen overnight. Experts agree that a long-term approach is needed, one that combines short-term enforcement with long-term public education, starting with schools. Teaching children from the age of 12 about road safety, the effects of alcohol, and the social unacceptability of drink-driving plants seeds that grow into lasting change.

In time, these youth become adult drivers who carry that awareness with them. But that’s a 20- to 30-year journey, requiring consistent investment in school programmes, national awareness campaigns, and public reinforcement. In the meantime, consistent enforcement ensures that the dangers of drink-driving are taken seriously today, not just tomorrow.

Clamping down with consistency

Stricter enforcement of drink-driving laws in South Africa could benefit from approaches used in countries with proven road safety records. For example, Australia’s random breath testing programme, where police conduct breathalyser checks without prior warning, has been successful in cutting down alcohol-related crashes. South Africa needs to introduce a nationwide alcohol testing programme built on three core foundations.

First, proper training and integrity in law enforcement are essential. Officers must be taught not only how to operate breathalysers accurately and consistently but also to understand the human cost of drink-driving. Measures like body cameras and AI-backed monitoring systems can help reinforce transparency and reduce opportunities for bribery.

Second, roadblocks need to be strategically deployed in high-risk areas, such as near nightlife hotspots during peak hours and remain visible and consistent to serve as an effective deterrent. Clear testing targets per location can help ensure accountability and maximise impact. Finally, reliable equipment and ongoing maintenance are critical. Without regularly calibrated and serviced breathalysers, the credibility of testing collapses, and the deterrent effect quickly fades.

In terms of penalties, South Africa already imposes significant fines and punishments for drink-driving offences. Drivers with a BAC above 0.05% face fines ranging from R2 000 to R120 000, with repeat offenders risking up to six years in prison. First-time offenders could face licence suspension for up to one year, while repeat offenders could face longer suspensions or even permanent revocation. If the offence leads to injury or death, the charges can escalate to culpable homicide or murder, leading to harsher penalties.

In an effort to help curb this, introducing mandatory post-offence education measures could effectively reduce drink-driving fatalities and make South Africa’s roads safer.

From cigarettes to steering wheels - changing social norms

South Africa has done it before. In 2001, smoking in public spaces was banned under the Tobacco Products Control Act, a change that, at the time, was met with resistance. But with steady enforcement, education, and shifting public attitudes, smoking in restaurants, malls, and offices became not just illegal but socially unacceptable. The same transformation is possible with drink-driving. It’s not enough to change the laws. We need to change the culture. It needs to become not just illegal to drink and drive but unthinkable.

* Rhys Evans is Managing Director of ALCO-Safe. The views expressed are his own. 

** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Independent on Saturday, IOL, or Independent Media.