Update from South Africans Against Drunk Driving [SADD]
It is our pleasure to provide an update on the activities of South Africans Against Drunk Driving on the Road Safety Blog:
The SAB/SADD University Project is progressing well.
We have run short programmes at Wits, UCT and NMMU in P.E, and will run longer programmes over “Jool/Rag” at UCT, Rhodes, Stellenbosch, U. Jhb, UKZN and Bloemfontein. The universities have been very enthusiastic and excited to be working with us to address road safety and alcohol abuse.
Caro is a member of “Action for a Safe South Africa” in the “Sober SA” category. We are looking at ways to address alcohol abuse as this contributes to many of our social problems and causes the loss of billions of Rands. Once we have a formalized plan we will send it on to you.
To start with we are telling people not to laugh at/accept drunken behaviour —- eg. “I was so drunk I can’t remember how I drove home last night.” Instead of laughing, respond something like this, “I am so disappointed in you. This is totally unacceptable in a country with so many deaths/injuries happening on our roads”.
We have revamped our website! Please visit it again! We are able to edit and add information ourselves, so hope to keep more up to date and interesting. Please send newspaper cuttings (with date, name of newspaper), photos of relevant articles, additions and suggestions.
Fundraising continues to be a big challenge with rejection after rejection being received. Road safety is still simply not taken seriously. SADD is eligible for LOTTO funding and we are submitting a proposal to have programmes introduced into all Grade 12 classrooms in KZN – in both the English and Zulu language.
For those of you who give us monthly contributions – no matter how small – a BIG thank you!! It really helps and adds up to help with running costs.
Our court case was thrown out of Regional court on a technicality, but hopefully will be resubmitted again.
There is a noticeable shift in the public’s attitude to using designated drivers or taxis – so to each of us we need to remember that we ARE making a difference and we need to carry on being proactive to save our families and help our society.
Thank you very much from the SADD Team in PMB.
Caro Smit
South Africans Against Drunk Driving
SADD
“Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink Then Drive”
“Drinking and Driving is Not an Accident, it is a Choice”
Excellent initiative!!! thanks for sharing.
When will metro practice their “visible policing” outside pubs and bars after hours?
I learned recently that metro officers can arrest and detain a person on suspicion of drunkeness. They do not have to take any tests to prove anything, and the only way out of their detention is to pay an admission of guilt in the region of R300.
No SURELY this is not reasonable? Why on earth are metro officials not all carrying at least a breathalyser. The AA is trying to get the allowable alcohol content reduced, so you cannot legally have 1 drink without running foul of the law. Surely it would be more effective to ENFORCE THE EXISTING LAWS, effectively, if at all possible.
If testing for alcohol is standard operating procedure at all accident scenes, then fewer dronkgats would get off with a techinicality, as is currently the case?
All very well saying that we need to police the laws better but do our traffic officers have the mental capacity to understand the laws, much less enforce them.
One way of reducing the statistics would be if every motorist ensured that they obeyed all traffic laws and got rid of their “me first” attitude. I would go so far as to say that 99% of drivers believe they are perfect drivers and that they never break the law. I got news for you guys!!! You are lucky you don’t live in the UK or Europe. You would have ALL had your licences suspended by now.
Never mind what the guy next to you is doing. As long as you obey ALL the laws, the rest will follow.
I travel from Sandton to the East Rand every day and I used get really wound up at the appalling driving. Since changing my attitude, I don’t get nearly as stressed.
Try and be a little more courteous. Give the Taxi a gap. He has as much right on the road as you do in your fancy expensive motor car.
Just because the lady next to you drives a beat up, 10 year old car, does not give you the right to force your way in front of her.
Let’s all try and be less aggressive and more considerate!!