The days of waiting for blood test results before a drunk driving suspect can be prosecuted are over at Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s Traffic Services, following the opening of a new Evidentiary Breath Alcohol Testing centre in Sidwell.
The new centre, approved by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), will boost the metro’s efforts to curb the increasing drunk driving cases within the region.
This follows the recently-launched and ongoing self-test breathalyser programme, which encourages responsible and safe driving to minimise accidents and save lives, as NMBM traffic officers have adopted a zero tolerance to drinking and driving towards the festive season and beyond.
“The new centre will speed up the current process of drawing blood and challenges around it,” said Safety and Security Mayoral Committee Member, Councillor Stag Mitchell, speaking at the opening of the centre.
“Previously our traffic officers would arrest drunk drivers and take them to a hospital for blood tests to be done, and it could take weeks before the results are back before prosecution would take place. Now that we have this approved centre, we can test a suspect and receive accurate results within 15 minutes.”
“Two tests are done consecutively, of which the lower reading will constitute evidence that could lead to a successful conviction if one is over the limit. The legal limit is 0.24 mg of alcohol per 1 000 ml of breath. We are already busy with road safety education through churches, schools, and the public transport industry, to advocate for no-drinking and driving. This is by distributing self-testing breathalysers so that drivers are not driving under the influence of alcohol. We are committed to the decade of Road Safety 2023 of reducing road accidents, deaths and injuries by 50 percent.
”A total of 118 drunk drivers were caught by NMBM Traffic Services in 2021, 301 in 2022, and 367 so far in 2023.
Traffic and Licensing Director Warren Prins said that the high numbers were a cause for concern, resulting in the metro’s drive to educate motorists, to instil behavioural change and responsible driving.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s Olga De Wet said that NPA was in full support of the Metro’s initiatives to clamp down on drunk driving.
