25 Feb 2026

In a bold move to make Botswana’s roads safer and save lives, the government is set to close a dangerous loophole in the law by banning driving under the influence of drugs and other intoxicating substances, not just alcohol.

Assistant Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Mr Keoagile Atamelang, delivered the announcement during a consultative meeting with Kgomokasitwa residents recently.

He explained that the current Road Traffic Act only targeted drunk drivers, leaving drivers impaired by drugs from recreational substances to prescription medications largely unaddressed, even though some of these also impaired judgment, reaction times, and coordination just as severely, often with deadly results.

“The government has woken up to a harsh reality, too many drivers are getting behind the wheel under the influence of drugs, putting innocent lives at risk,” Mr Atamelang said.

“We cannot afford to wait while preventable accidents continue to claim lives and devastate families.”

The Assistant Minister also outlined plans for significantly higher traffic fines targeting reckless behaviours such as speeding, dangerous overtaking, and driving without a license, penalties designed to hit hard enough to make drivers stick to the set laws.

He said road crashes continued to drain the national purse through emergency medical responses, hospital care, rehabilitation, and lost productivity.

With accidents still claiming hundreds of lives and injuring thousands annually despite a gradual decline in total incidents over recent years, the financial and human toll remains heavy.

As such, Mr Atamelang urged every motorist to take personal responsibility.

“Obey the rules. Every single time. Lives depend on it.”

Residents welcomed the focus on safety but many voiced worries about the affordability of any upcoming adjustments to public transport fares, stressing that changes must reflect the tough economic realities most families faced today.

They called for a balanced approach that protected road users without adding undue pressure on household budgets.

Assistant Minister Atamelang’s visit to Kgomokasitwa underscored a hands-on approach to addressing both legislative gaps and the real-world challenges drivers and passengers encounter. BOPA