Drank a drop? You don’t drive! Zero alcohol limit back on the table as road deaths mount

South Africa may soon move towards a zero-alcohol limit for drivers, as the government revives long-debated plans to amend road traffic laws in response to persistently high road deaths.

Speaking on CapeTalk, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy confirmed that she intends to push Parliament to amend Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act, which currently allows limited alcohol consumption before driving.

Why government wants a zero limit

Creecy said the existing legal allowance sends the wrong signal to motorists. While the law permits ‘one or two drinks’, many drivers routinely exceed that limit and still get behind the wheel.

The consequences are stark. More than 9,000 people were killed on South Africa’s roads last year. Around 80% of crashes were linked to driver behaviour, a category that includes speeding, drunken driving and reckless driving, often combined.

Festive-season data paints an especially grim picture. Nearly half of road deaths occurred between 15 and 28 December, mostly on secondary roads and typically between 7 pm and 1 am patterns strongly associated with social drinking and late-night driving.

Enforcement remains the weak link

Critics of a zero-limit law argue that changing the number on paper will not matter if enforcement remains inconsistent. Creecy acknowledged this concern, saying legislation alone will not reduce road carnage.

Over the most recent festive season, about 200,000 drivers were tested for alcohol, with roughly 8,500 arrests for being significantly over the limit. The Department now plans targeted training for prosecutors and magistrates to ensure drunk-driving cases are treated as serious crimes rather than minor offences.

This, Creecy said, must include the full chain from arrest and blood testing to prosecution and sentencing.

Social norms may matter as much as law

Beyond enforcement, Creecy argued that public behaviour needs to change. She drew parallels with smoking bans in public spaces, which initially faced resistance but are now widely accepted and self-policed.

Drunk driving, she suggested, still lacks a strong social sanction. Too often, friends watch someone drink excessively, knowing they plan to drive, and say nothing.

Public hearings on the proposed amendments are expected to form part of a broader education campaign aimed at shifting attitudes, not just during the festive season, but year-round.

If approved by the Parliament of South Africa, the amendment would mean exactly that: if you drive, you do not drink at all.

For more information, listen to Creecy using the audio player below: