Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has announced that the government plans to lower South Africa’s drunk driving limit to zero.
Speaking at a media briefing alongside Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa, Creecy outlined her department’s intention to amend Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act.
She highlighted that this would introduce a clear and unambiguous policy, allowing no alcohol consumption while driving.
Presenting the 2025/26 festive season road safety report, covering the period from 1 December 2025 to 11 January 2026, Creecy said it was time to end the longstanding allowance that permitted drivers to consume a certain amount of alcohol before getting behind the wheel.
“The time has come for us to amend the law, so that we have a clear-cut, easy-to-understand, and unambiguous policy that says drinking and driving are not allowed,” she said.
“If nothing else, we owe this to the memory of the many fellow South Africans who have lost their lives on the roads.”
Creecy described the current law as “totally unacceptable,” noting that existing blood-alcohol limits, set decades ago, allow regular drivers up to 0.05g per 100ml of blood and professional drivers up to 0.02g.
For breathalyser tests, these limits correspond to 0.24 mg/L and 0.10 mg/L, respectively. The minister said she could not explain these allowances to families who have lost loved ones in alcohol-related crashes.
The festive season report highlighted why such a change is urgently needed.
While five provinces recorded reductions in road fatalities, four provinces—including Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape—saw increases.
The period between 15 and 28 December accounted for over 40% of crashes and fatalities, which Creecy said confirms a trend that accidents spike when travellers have reached their destinations and are engaged in festive celebrations.
Drunk driving is a problem
The stats also show that officers conducted 1,632 roadblocks and checked 1.8 million vehicles. Over 450,000 traffic fines were issued, while 525 motorists were arrested for excessive speeding.
Creecy said roadblocks focused on vehicle roadworthiness, driver fitness, and licensing, and 173,695 drivers were tested for alcohol consumption.
Of these, 8,561 tested positive, marking a 144% increase from the same period the previous year.
Some of the incidents were extreme. The highest recorded blood-alcohol reading was in KwaZulu-Natal, where one driver tested 14 times above the legal limit.
Meanwhile, in the Northern Cape, a motorist was caught travelling at 222 km/h in a 120 km/h zone. “This reinforces the urgent need for zero tolerance on alcohol and driving,” Creecy said.
The proposed change is not new. In 2020, former Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula introduced the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill to Parliament, which included measures to eliminate blood-alcohol limits entirely in favour of a zero-tolerance approach.
The bill also contained amendments to driving school regulations, licensing procedures, and traffic enforcement. However, despite parliamentary debate and consultations, the bill has not yet become law.
A zero-tolerance alcohol policy for drivers would align South Africa with international best practices and remove confusion about what constitutes safe driving.
If implemented, it would mean that all drivers would be prohibited from consuming any alcohol before getting behind the wheel.
“I have never understood why it was acceptable to allow motorists to drink a certain amount and drive. This must end,” Creecy said. She added that the lives of South Africans on the road depend on decisive action.
