As we enter the festive season, the government is actively reviewing traffic laws in an attempt to decrease fatalities on the road. Speed limits on major roads as well as residential areas might be reduced by 20 km/h.

“Legislation is being reviewed to address and bring in place an edifice of various interventions to respond adequately to the challenge that South Africa is facing,” said National Transport Department spokesperson Ayanda Allie-Paine to IOL. “Among these, there is a review of the international best practice on speed reductions, as is the case in countries such as Sweden and Australia.”

This means that, should these reductions be implemented, the new speed limit on highways will be reduced to 100km/h, dual carriageways to 80km/h and roads in residential areas to 40km/h.

The likelihood of survival during accidents is significantly increased if motorists are travelling at lower speeds, the opposite applies for those travelling at higher speeds, as vehicles and their passengers sustain more damage on impact.

Apart from the new speeding limits, The National Transport Department is also considering reducing the legal driving blood-alcohol level from 0.05% to 0%.

“Road accidents are not only the result of speed, but several other factors as well. Our plans for the festive season include targeted enforcement and smart policing,” said Allie-Paine.

According to Alcoholrehabguide.org, any amount of alcohol in your bloodstream can impact your driving ability. Safe driving requires the ability to concentrate, make good judgements and quickly react to situations. However, alcohol affects these skills, putting yourself and others in danger.

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