While there is an assumption that the alcohol limits in the UK, Europe and the US are as severe as new legislation that the Department of Transport is hoping to bring about, this is not the case.
After Travel News published an article on the impact this legislation could have on the hospitality sector, a number of readers commented that most European countries, including Sweden and Germany, have a zero limit.The truth is that South Africa's existing law (0,05g blood alcohol) is in sync with the law in those countries.
One of the amendments in the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill, which is still subject to public consultation, proposes that no person may drive a vehicle while there is any trace of alcohol in their bloodstream.
A zero limit would be stricter than the key tourism source markets for South Africa, including the US, UK, Germany and France, which all allow for a small concentration of alcohol in the blood of a driver. The limits in are 0,08% in the US and 0,05% in Germany and France respectively.
The limit is 0,08% for the UK, with the exception of Scotland where the limit is 0,05%. Sweden has one of the lowest limits, with anything including and above 0,02% deemed illegal.
Because of the number of medicines that contain alcohol, sometimes as much as 12,5 %, a zero limit could mean that people taking medicine could unwittingly break the law.
