The long weekend is coming up and you’re planning to drive towards your long-awaited good time away from the reality of work, with friends and a few bottles.
After a few drinks you decide jump into the driver’s seat and start running your engine, feeling the overconfident that you will be able to drive yourself home safely – but then you crash into another driver, who may or may not have had their family on-board. Was the tragic accident really worth it?
Statistics indicate that long weekends tend to generally have a 51% increase in road accident fatalities.
Driving while intoxicated is one of the biggest threats to road safety within South Africa. If you haven’t noticed, South African law takes drunken driving as a very serious offence, and it’s as simple as don’t do it.
SA’s New Drunk Driving Jail Time
South African Transport Minister, Joe Maswanganyi, has welcomed jail time sanctions to help combat the annual 12 702 road deaths caused by drinking and driving. The Minister’s ultimate goal is to reduce road deaths by at least 50% over a 10-year period.
Statistically, 10% of road accidents are due to unroadworthy cars – Negligent steering, damaged brakes and tyre wear-and-tears, among others, play a major role in contributing towards these tragic stats. Over 2-million drunk-driving, registered road users are due to have their vehicle roadworthy tested.
HOW MUCH is TOO MUCH?
In South Africa, there is a grace amount until you ‘reach your limit’ on the breathalyzer. Statistically, around 50% of South African road death victims held a blood alcohol concentration level above 0.05g per 100 milliliters.
Your Alcohol Uptake
The simple fact that alcohol impacts cognitive abilities is definitely a known one, which is why so many people often end up visiting alcohol rehab centres to remedy the problem. But, even though you might be aware of the fact, you would not mind consuming a glass or two– perhaps because, for the time being, you’re able to drive straight on the road without drifting, while also maintaining a safe following distance. If driving but at the same time you feel urged to ‘have a quick drink’, know that drinking and driving is illegal and two drinks within one hour exceeds the legal alcohol limit. If you struggle to resist the urge to drink, even when you know it’s wrong, it might be worth checking out a rehab facility like Arista Recovery. Places like this can help change your attitude towards alcohol, reducing your dependence on it and creating a healthy mindset surrounding drinking. CarZar urges road users to put an end to drinking and driving, and protect the safety of others from undesired fatalities. Value society’s road safety and help CarZar create awareness about the endless cycle of Drinking and Driving, faced by South Africa. This post is sponsored by CarZar – South Africa’s FASTEST WAY to SELL YOUR CAR ONLINE. Simply get a FREE Instant Online Quote NOW and Book an Obligation-FREE Car Inspection! Instant Payment! No Haggle. No Hassle. Sell your car in 30 minutes! With CarZar, selling your car to has never been easier. GET A FREE QUOTE