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Ja, so this past weekend South Africans didn’t exactly put their best foot forward when it comes to enjoying the newly-relaxed alert level 2 restrictions.

Parties were in full swing, masks were discarded, and hospitals were once again dealing with an influx of alcohol-related injuries and admissions, some of which were caused by drunk driving and road accidents.

Over 740 people were arrested for suspected drunk driving in Gauteng alone, while three Tshwane Metro Police officers died in a head-on collision with a suspected drunk driver.

Compared to what BusinessTech calls “normal times”, the arrests and figures were extremely high, with areas like Sandton, Rosebank, and Hillbrow identified as particularly problematic.

In an attempt to contain the chaos, Johannesburg Metro Police Department spokesperson, chief superintendent Wayne Minnaar, says that the JMPD “would be keeping up its operations to clamp down on non-compliance, which will include roadblocks and being more present on the streets”.

Yup, roadblocks. You can bet similar measures will be in place across the country.

The DA has encouraged South Africans to be responsible when drinking, issuing a warning that the country’s alcohol industry cannot afford another ban on the sale of booze due to abuse.

The scary thing is that this isn’t something that’s confined to lockdown.

EWN looked into some of the stats that have led to South Africa recording one of the highest rates of road accidents globally.

The accepted global norm, explains Professor Hennie Klopper, Emeritus Professor of Private Law at the University of Pretoria, is between seven and 21 casualties per 100 000 motor vehicles.

In South Africa, we’re looking at a staggering 134 casualties per 100 000 motor vehicles.

The Road Accident Fund is currently faced with approximately 113 000 claims annually, of which it is only able to meet between 45 and 50%.

Research conducted by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), per IOL, shows that alcohol-related road accidents are costing the economy many billions every year.

“Research conducted by the RTMC in collaboration with the South African Medical Research Council and the University of South Africa shows that driver alcohol intoxication accounts for 27.1% of fatal crashes in the country. This is estimated to cost the economy R18.2 billion annually,” said the RTMC via a statement on Wednesday.

The research also indicated that pedestrians were three times more likely to die in a crash where a driver was intoxicated.

With all that in mind, it’s not surprising that we could be looking at roadblocks this weekend, and for the foreseeable future.

Whatever you’re up to at the end of the week, drive safe and sober, practise physical distancing, and wear a mask.

[sources:businesstech&ewn&iol]