23 Nov 2017

Drinking alcohol while driving is an offence, period, and there is no doubt many Batswana know this.Drunken driving means alcohol content in one’s blood is over the legal limit for driving, which is 0.22 milligrams per 1000 millilitres for ordinary drivers and 011 milligrams per 1000 millilitres for professional drivers (those who drive commercial trucks, buses, taxis and combis).

There are two kinds of breath tests which a Botswana Police traffic officer has the legal right to administer to a driver suspected to be drunk.

There is the roadside breath screening and the Breathalyzer test.

The roadside breath-screening test usually takes place at the side of the road after someone has been pulled over. In other countries, this test is also known as “sniffer” test.

The second test is called the Breathalyzer which is conducted at the police station. It should be noted that under the Road Traffic Act one can be charged for refusing a breath sample for either test, unless one has a valid excuse such as an injury that prevents one from blowing enough into the machine.

However, before asking a driver to perform a roadside breath test, the police must generally have a good reason to suspect that alcohol has been consumed.

This may arise from a number of observations by the police, such as one’s appearance, physical movements, smell of alcohol in the car, and answers to questions.

Although a person is not required to respond to questions from police, failing to do so may lead the police to suspect that alcohol has been consumed, and likely to require to provide a roadside breath-screening sample.

Now that Christmas festive season is around the corner, the two type of alcohol tests will soon be activated more so that the festive season nowadays is synonymous with road accidents and unnecessary deaths caused mostly by drunken driving.

According to the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA) statistics, a total of 377 casualties were recorded in 2014, whilst 411 and 450 were recorded in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Since January to October this year, a total of 344 casualties have so far been recorded and 90 per cent of the accidents occurred as a result of over speeding and reckless driving.

However, police statistics, indicates that so far 243 people had already died since the beginning of this year as compared to 234 who died during the same period last year.

There is no doubt that some of these accidents are attributed to drunken driving.

Offenders or people who are in most cases  on the other side of the law always fabricate stories to try to cover themselves. 

Of late, such people have been circulating rumours that a handful of traffic police officers who operate alcohol testing machines are not certified.

The rumours were quickly shared through social media and sparked lively debates on how effective traffic officers were.

But the type of rumours have been quickly debunked by Police chief spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Dipheko Motube who said the breath testing machines have been fully serviced for accurate quantitative and qualitative breath analysis. 

“Those who undermine traffic police officers behind the machines will get the shock of their lives for challenging them because they have the necessary credentials.

People should understand that any job that a police officer does, he has been trained for it,” he said.

Mr Motube’s main message is that Batswana should be law abiding and obey all traffic laws during the coming festive season.

“Don’t punch a hole in the criminal justice system. Whatever traffic offence you commit not only affects you as a driver. It affects your relatives and the whole nation,” he added.

The Booze Buses will also take up position along all major highways across the country.

These are mobile police unit vehicles fitted with Breathalyzer machines to conduct alcohol tests on drivers suspected of being drunk.

Assistant Commissioner Motube commended the services of Booze Buses, saying their presence help in reducing fatal accidents because those who are likely to be tempted to drink along the roads would be cautious. In this regard, Mr Motube is pleading with motorists to take the necessary precautions when they take to the roads and avoid the “One for the road’ mentality.

He said the 60 Days Against Crime and Road Safety campaign reinforces the message that ‘the best approach is none’, reminding motorists that even if a person is slightly over the limit, in the eyes of the law they are a drunk driver and wrong.

Since it is also rainy season, driving along the roads is dangerous because the roads would be slippery which could lead to accidents.

Mr Motube also highlighted that the launch of the 60 Days of Action On Crime and Road Safety campaign enhance police visibility, adding that police had done enough to educate the public hence the shift to focus on law enforcement.

Meanwhile, for his part, Senior Assistant Commissioner Mr Nunu Lesetedi explained that their campaign of uprooting drugs is bearing fruit and will continue until they achieve their goal.

Mr Lesetedi said the exercise is bearing fruitsbecause there is a nose dive reduction in behaviours and crime activities such as violence, rape, house break-ins, and robbery, saying criminal activities were caused by people who have taken to drugs.

He explained that since the beginning of the operation two months ago prior to the launch of the 60 Days of Action Against Crime and Road Safety campaign, all the drugs and money discovered from the exercise exceeds P2 million.

Mr Lesetedi explained at most police arrest 10 to 15 suspects per day adding that so far they have arrested over 200 suspects in this exercise.

He said they have now started spreading their wings outside Gaborone and its periphery to areas such as Palapye, Serowe and Francistown adding that this week, they were in Serowe where they intercepted 168 sachets of dagga.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Lesetedi said some of the suspects are in jail whilst others have been granted bail adding that what is disheartening is the fact that some of the suspects commit offences whilst on bail which he said was a draw back because police work on arresting the same people.

He explained that the major challenge now is that the cases are piling up and suggested that the judiciary should come up with specialised courts as a dispensation for the speedy disposal of the cases. ENDS