Capetonians and drunk driving still out of hand
Cape Town’s City enforcement agencies did a great job over the weekend when a number of arrests were made for drunk driving. Two of the arrested motorists were women and both were caught for driving on the wrong side of the road – one in Pinelands and one on the N2 highway.
A total of 79 arrests were made in Cape Town over the weekend for drunk driving while officers also intercepted an attempted hijacking and recovered stolen vehicles.
“Alcohol and speed remain the top killers on our roads and it is disheartening to see that so many drivers still drink and get behind the wheel. We are intensifying our enforcement efforts in the run-up to the festive season and take a zero tolerance approach to this behaviour. I want to warn all drivers who think they can disregard the road laws and compromise the safety of other residents that we will be out there and we will not hesitate to enforce the laws.” – Alderman JP Smith
Also read: Why you shouldn’t drive the morning after drinking
Earlier this year the AA brought 8 things to do with drinking and driving to motorist’s attention…
DRINKING AND DRIVING – DID YOU KNOW?
- One is normally charged for negligent driving as well.
- You can be locked up in a cell for the night or even weekend.
- Following your court date, you can be imprisoned for up to 6 years.
- You can also be fined up to R120 000.
- Your driving license can be suspended.
- You can get a criminal record.
- A criminal record can create difficulties with travel, finding employment and with career development.
- If you kill someone in a crash, jail sentences can be much higher, not to mention the effect it will have on the rest of your life.
With this in mind, why is it that we still see so many friends, colleagues and family members choosing to get behind the wheel after a few drinks?
Everyone has their own excuses: “I’ve had some water in between, I’m fine to drive”, “I had my last drink about 2 hours ago, it’s out of my system now and I feel fine”.
The truth is, everyone is affected differently by alcohol and while law enforcement officials are tightening up about the legal drinking limit, being locked up for drinking and driving really is the least of your problems when you consider our high road death toll.
Source: City of Cape Town and AA