Article: Don't lower blood alcohol limit for drivers: Carlisle

Western Cape transport MEC Robin Carlisle says lowering the blood alcohol limit for drivers will lead to fewer prosecutions, it was reported on Tuesday.

"What that means is when you bring the limit down so much, other factors can play a role, so the smaller you make the interval, the higher the chance that other factors can play a role," he told the Cape Times.
 
Wouldn't the reason for less prosecutions be less people drinking & driving? :erm:
 
Whether the limit is 0.0001 or 0.1 won't make a blind bit of difference. People routinely drive over the limit, whatever it is, and it's socially acceptable. Hell people even SMS each other warning about roadblocks so that people can avoid getting caught breaking the law. This needs to change. People need to start seeing drunk driving as something bad - bad enough that they won't condone or assist with getting away with it.
 
My concern is if you, for example, accidentally swallow you mouth wash or, being winter, have taken some cough syrup you might find yourself with a criminal record for something you really didn't intend to do.

If one is going to drink and drive they are going to be well clear of the current limit, whatever it may be, and those are the people that should be targeted!
 
Won't make any difference.

The only thing that would is prevention or force.

Changing the limit without changing the way it is enforced is useless.
 
You wanna stop drinking and driving?

Close all bars, pubs & clubs, ban restaurants from serving alcohol and make bottle/liquer stores close at 5pm. That is how you will stop it or at the least reduce it to near negligible levels.

Of course shebeens and the backyard bottlestores will thrive, but you will see a difference.
 
phaktza said:
My concern is if you, for example, accidentally swallow you mouth wash or, being winter, have taken some cough syrup
Click to expand...

If you're gulping down mouth wash and cough syrup enough to be noticed as drunk and pulled over and then still have more than 0.02 - you have bigger problems to worry about.
 
2012 said:
If you're gulping down mouth wash and cough syrup enough to be noticed as drunk and pulled over and then still have more than 0.02 - you have bigger problems to worry about.
Click to expand...

Want to bet?...

0.02 is not being noticed as "drunk"...

The only way the government will solve the drinking and driving problem in this country is to sort out the bloody public transport.
 
thestaggy said:
You wanna stop drinking and driving?

Close all bars, pubs & clubs, ban restaurants from serving alcohol and make bottle/liquer stores close at 5pm. That is how you will stop it or at the least reduce it to near negligible levels.

Of course shebeens and the backyard bottlestores will thrive, but you will see a difference.
Click to expand...

a better option would be to have a better form of public transport
 
Nerfherder said:
a better option would be to have a better form of public transport
Click to expand...

That is the better option, but it is also the more expensive and harder to implement solution.

I'm amazed that Metro has not taken to sitting outside clubs anyway. They could make a killing and make arrests by the dozen.
 
thestaggy said:
That is the better option, but it is also the more expensive and harder to implement solution.

I'm amazed that Metro has not taken to sitting outside clubs anyway. They could make a killing and make arrests by the dozen.
Click to expand...

They do this all the time, but you don't see them sitting outside the shabeens or taxi ranks doing the same thing. They carry people from the public and should be targeted first and foremost as this is where the most deaths lie.
 
ToAsTeD said:
They do this all the time, but you don't see them sitting outside the shabeens or taxi ranks doing the same thing. They carry people from the public and should be targeted first and foremost as this is where the most deaths lie.
Click to expand...

I've never seen them oustide the local News Cafe. They sit far down the road, maybe 4 kays or so away and only in the one direction.
 
2012 said:
I'll take that bet, if you sallowed enough cough syrup to be drunk enough to be noticed by a cop, you have a bigger problem - maybe bird flu.
Click to expand...

Its not about being drunk enough to be noticed by a cop ffs..

Its about being over this new ridiculously low limit purely by accident.

I've been breathalyzed by a cop, not because I was drunk but because I went through a roadblock, and EVERYONE was being breathalyzed.
 
It has been medically proven that when consuming alcohol, your blood alcohol level takes far longer to come down, than do the effects of the alcohol.

So say you have 5 drinks at home Saturday night which is easy to do with out going overboard, a beer before supper, 2 glasses red wine with supper and a double rum and coke later while watching TV. You wake up feeling refreshed and 100% sober Sunday morning. Your blood alcohol level could still be above the limit to drive, when in fact you are perfectly sober and fine to drive. So now you get arrested on your way to church and accused of being pissed.

I 'm against driving under the influence of alcohol, but such a low level coupled with blanket testing is going to catch people who are in fact sober and perfectly capable of driving.

If people are being caught pissed and still test under the limit then we have a case for lowering the limit. So far I haven't seen that happening.
 
B.O.F.H. said:
Its not about being drunk enough to be noticed by a cop ffs..

Its about being over this new ridiculously low limit purely by accident.

I've been breathalyzed by a cop, not because I was drunk but because I went through a roadblock, and EVERYONE was being breathalyzed.
Click to expand...
If you are drinking enough cough syrup to be over the limit should you be driving?

You will be woozy and have impaired judgement, same as someone who is tipsy.
It has been a while since I had anything stronger than a Panado, but isn't there a warning on the box to not operate heavy machinery when you notice it affecting you?
 
MyWorld said:
If you are drinking enough cough syrup to be over the limit should you be driving?

You will be woozy and have impaired judgement, same as someone who is tipsy.
It has been a while since I had anything stronger than a Panado, but isn't there a warning on the box to not operate heavy machinery when you notice it affecting you?
Click to expand...

Most medications have that warning on them...

But depending on the type of medication, some make you drowsy, some don't....
 
The alcohol limit is the least of the problems.

When you see how badly way too many people drive, you have to ask how they got their license in the first place, some can't even drive in a straight line, others have no clue how to take a corner...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X