How did the lockdown alcohol ban affect road safety?
The alcohol ban in South Africa under the Covid-19-related lockdown has been one of the most controversial bans, along with the cigarette ban, to date. Many South Africans were unhappy when these bans were implemented at the beginning of lockdown and even more so after the extension of the national lockdown with the bans still not being lifted..
Our Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, with her committee, argued that this ban was necessary for keeping the hospitals free of alcohol-related incidents that would take up much needed space for Covid-19 patients.
Eugene Herbert, the managing director of MasterDrive, said that the alcohol ban could have a drastic impact on the cost of alcohol-related accidents on the country’s GDP (gross domestic product).
According to research from the government and public health sector, the annual tangible and intangible cost to the country for alcohol-related incidents was between 10% and 12% of the GDP. However, the car accident-related percentage is not stated. It was interesting to note that over Easter 2020, only 11 people were arrested over this period for drunk driving, compared to last year’s 800 arrests.
How the alcohol ban has had a positive effect in South Africa1
- The Groote Schuur hospital caseload was reduced by two-thirds in their trauma centre because of fewer drinking and driving accidents.
- Professor Charles Parry, who is a researcher for the SA Medical Research Council, produced a model showing a 25% drop in trauma cases relating to alcohol consumption. This included injuries from alcohol-related crimes and vehicle accidents.
- One of our public health care doctors compared Italian doctors to South African doctors in the situation where they had to choose who they would save and who they would not be able to save in the trauma units. The alcohol-related incidents of violence and vehicle accidents would force South African doctors into this situation, once the trauma units were faced with the strain of Covid-19 trauma cases.
With President Cyril Ramaphosa introducing the alcohol ban back after lifting it the first time, it did help the trauma units cope better under the Covid-19 peak that hit between July and August of 2020.
It is of great importance to study the data collected during lockdown to access the drastic impact drinking and driving has on our country’s GDP and health care facilities. This data could maybe help provide more knowledge to civilians that do not see or understand the danger to their actions when drinking and driving.
Now that the alcohol ban has been lifted motorists are urged not to drink and drive and to try and drink more responsibly. People have to start realising the negative impact this has on South Africa’s economy as well. Please drive safely. Please don’t drink and drive.
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This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.
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