South Africa is set to overhaul its driving laws, with the Department of Transport planning to remove the country’s legal alcohol limit for drivers.
Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy announced that Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA) will be amended to make any drinking and driving illegal, scrapping the existing limits of 0.05g/100ml blood alcohol for general drivers and stricter thresholds for professional drivers.
‘The time has come for us to amend the law, so we have a clear-cut, easy to understand and unambiguous policy that says drinking and driving is not allowed,’ Creecy said during a media briefing alongside Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa. She added that the existing policy, which allows some alcohol before driving, was formulated nearly 30 years ago and is no longer acceptable.
The announcement comes alongside the release of the 2025/26 festive season road safety report, which shows some progress in reducing road fatalities. Between 1 December 2025 and 11 January 2026, 173 695 drivers were tested for alcohol, with 8 561 testing positive, a 144% increase from the same period last year. Despite the rise in detected cases, road deaths and crashes dropped by 5%, with 1 427 fatalities recorded from 1 172 crashes. Creecy highlighted that this marks the lowest number of crashes in five years during the festive season.
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Law enforcement efforts were extensive, with 1 632 roadblocks stopping and checking 1.8 million vehicles. More than 450 000 traffic fines were issued, and 525 drivers were arrested for excessive speeding.
Preliminary data for the full year of 2025 also shows a positive trend, with road fatalities and crashes reaching their lowest levels in five years. A total of 11 418 deaths were reported from 9 674 crashes, representing a 6.2% decrease in fatalities and a 6.4% decrease in crashes compared to 2024.
Minister Creecy stressed that the amendment will provide clarity for all road users and strengthen enforcement, while maintaining South Africa’s focus on improving road safety nationwide.
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