When it comes to drinking and driving, the statistics tell a sobering story.
Over 40% of the fatalities on our roads are directly caused by alcohol, and in the Western Cape drivers who die are more likely to be blood alcohol content positive than any other category.
When it comes to pedestrians, 61% of deaths when tested for alcohol are found to be positive. Forty-one percent of these pedestrians were four times over the legal limit for driving.
That’s the stats. And common sense would also tell us that alcohol and roads just don’t mix. People drink to dull their senses, to not have to be so sharp all the time, and sharpened senses are exactly what is need to stay alive on the roads, and to not endanger the lives of other road users.
So, alcohol induces the exact opposite state than is needed on the roads. Trick is, how do we persuade one another of this fact? Perhaps the rules need to be stricter, like no tolerance of drinking and driving whatsoever.
Perhaps we could start to change what is seen as acceptable.
Like when a guy who has had some drink gets into a car, we should not shout for a burnout, we should take his keys away and make him sit in the corner. So, our attitudes need to change too, and that change begins with you.