Drinking and driving is a criminal offence in South Africa and is a major cause of fatal accidents on our roads. With the holiday season in full swing, cases of drinking and driving are likely to increase and sadly, so will the number of deaths.
We have put together some basic drinking and driving information so that you know where to draw the line but can also avoid drinking and driving altogether, so listen up!
Drinking and Driving How much is too much?
Drinking alcohol impairs driving ability drastically and your chances of having a serious accident increases almost exponentially with every drink you consume. It goes without saying, that if youre drinking, you shouldn’t even think about driving.
The legal limit is a breath alcohol content of 0.24mg per 1,000ml, or a blood alcohol limit of 0.05g per 100ml.
In the eyes of the law, a maximum of one unit or 10ml of pure alcohol per hour is permissible. The human body, depending on your weight, takes one hour or more to process one unit of alcohol and the less you weigh the more time your body needs to recover.
– People who drink beer or spirit coolers can legally consume two-thirds of a beer or spirit cooler with 5% alcohol content per hour.
– Wine lovers can sip 75 ml of red or white wine per hour providing that the alcohol content is between 12% and 14%.
– For whisky and brandy drinkers, only 25 ml per hour is permissible.
The Reality
The reality is that if you exceed these limits and proceed to drive your car, you are guilty of drinking and driving. By doing so, you are breaking the law and you risk causing a serious accident with potentially fatal consequences to yourself and others. And thats only where your troubles begin, its just not worth it.
Using designated driver services in South Africa is the best way to avoid drinking and driving and companies like Uber make organising a lift easy using your smartphone. Be smart, be safe and dont drink and drive.
