No, Zero-alcohol Driving Limit will Not Kick In From 1 July

Contrary to what the Department of Transport have been hoping for, the zero-alcohol driving law will not come into effect on 1 July 2021.

In fact, according to Layton Beard of the Automobile Association, the draft bill may not be passed before the year 2022.

This is because the Bill has not yet made its way through Parliament and is still in the legislative process.

The new bill adopts a zero-tolerance approach to drunk driving by setting the legal blood-alcohol limit for drivers at 0%

Beard made the revelations during an interview on Cape Talk by John Maytham, listen to it at the end of this article.

The new zero-tolerance drinking and driving law will not take effect on 1 July as the Department of transport had hoped

The Bill has not yet made its way through Parliament and is still in the legislative process

Some 30 to 40 organisations that made representation to the transport parliamentary portfolio committee in mid-April, says the AA

The law is unlikely to see the light of day until 2022, if it is even accepted, says AA spokesperson Layton Beard

There are questions about when the new drinking and driving laws will come into effect.

The Department of Transport had hoped that the zero-tolerance drunk driving regulation would be made into law in South Africa’s planned National Road Traffic Amendment Bill by the end of June but it appears this will not be the case.

The bill is still making its way through Parliament and is in the legislative process.

The Automobile Association was part of a panel of some 30 to 40 organisations that made representation to the transport parliamentary portfolio committee in mid-April regarding various aspects of the National Road Traffic Act and the amendments and proposals contained within.
Layton Beard, Spokesperson – Automobile Association

The chances are it will only see the light of day sometime in 2022 – that is if the proposal to reduce to zero is accepted.
Layton Beard, Spokesperson – Automobile Association

The AA view is that there is currently legislation to deal with drunk driving and just needs to be implemented properly.

There is no need to change the legislation because that is not going to change people’s behaviour. We need to make sure that their behaviour is changed through the application of the law.
Layton Beard, Spokesperson – Automobile Association