Pretoria: The Department of Transport is set to initiate changes to Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA) to abolish the legal alcohol consumption limit for drivers in the country. Currently, the law criminalizes driving with a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 0.05g/100ml for general drivers and 0.02g/100ml for professional drivers.
According to South African Government News Agency, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy emphasized the outdated nature of the current policy, stating, "Our driving and drinking policy was formulated almost 30 years ago. In today's South Africa, it is totally unacceptable that there is a law that allows people to drink and then drive." Minister Creecy, alongside Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa, announced the proposed amendments while releasing the road safety report for the 2025/2026 festive season.
The preliminary data from the 2025/26 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign revealed that 173,695 drivers were tested for alcohol consumption, with 8,561 testing positive, marking a 144% increase from the previous year. Despite the rise in these figures, there was a 5% reduction in both fatalities and crashes compared to the last festive season. The report recorded 1,427 fatalities from 1,172 crashes, representing the lowest number of crashes in five years.
During the same period, law enforcement officers conducted 1,632 roadblocks, stopping and inspecting 1.8 million vehicles, issuing over 450,000 traffic fines, and arresting 525 individuals for excessive speeding. The annual statistics also indicated a decline in road crashes and fatalities, with 11,418 fatalities from 9,674 crashes in 2025, a decrease from previous years.
The Minister noted the significance of these improvements, stating, "The data shows that the 2025/26 festive season recorded the lowest number of crashes in five years, and the same number of fatalities as in the 2023/24 festive season." The annual statistics further highlighted a 6.4% decrease in crashes and a 6.2% decrease in fatalities compared to 2024.