Solution to South Africa's Road Safety Crisis

Sporadic roadblocks fail to deter. Consistent, high-visibility enforcement and daily testing would ... 

Rhys Evans, Managing Director at ALCO-Safe.

Imagine a South Africa where roadblocks were as routine as traffic lights; where every driver, every day, faced the possibility of being breathalysed or drug tested. At first, it might sound excessive, but what if that kind of visibility and consistency was exactly what we needed to make our roads safer? Right now, many drivers still take the risk of driving under the influence because they believe they won’t get caught. Roadblocks are too sporadic and enforcement too inconsistent to act as a real deterrent. But that could change if we approached road safety not as a once-off campaign but as a constant, community-wide commitment.

Daily checks drive daily change

We’ve already seen the effect of frequent testing in high-risk environments. At mines, industrial sites, and manufacturing facilities, consistent alcohol testing has transformed behaviour. Workers who know they’ll be breathalysed every day will adjust their consumption to within responsible levels.

That same principle would apply on our roads. If drivers expected to pass a roadblock every day, or even every week, fewer people would take chances. Impaired driving would drop. Licences would be kept up to date. Unroadworthy vehicles would be pulled off the streets. And most importantly, lives would be saved. Because the real power of daily roadblocks isn’t the fine or the arrest, it’s the mindset shift.

Visibility is the first step to accountability

The lack of visible law enforcement has led to widespread lawlessness on South African roads. Taxi drivers stop and go wherever they like, and speed limits are ignored. Basic courtesies, like indicating, have become optional. People drive this way because they know, statistically, they’re unlikely to be stopped.

This absence of consequence fuels a culture of reckless driving. However, when law enforcement becomes visible, that culture changes. The mere presence of a roadblock is enough to prompt better behaviour, not just regarding drinking and driving, but in all aspects of road use. When the rules are enforced, the rules start to matter again.