Transport Minister Barbara Creecy says government is pursuing changes that could introduce a zero-alcohol approach for South African drivers.
South Africa could be heading towards a strict zero-percent blood alcohol policy for drivers, with government preparing changes to the country’s road traffic laws.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said government is pursuing amendments to Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act as part of efforts to reduce the number of deaths on South Africa’s roads.
The proposed changes are expected to move the country towards a policy where drivers would effectively be prohibited from having any alcohol in their blood when driving.
Creecy said government is currently seeking approval from the Chief State Law Advisor and the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS), with the aim of securing Cabinet concurrence for the amendment by the end of 2026.
Speaking at the Road Safety Practitioners’ Colloquium in Ekurhuleni on Wednesday, 2 September, Creecy highlighted the scale of the problem.
More than 18 000 people were arrested for drunken driving between March and the end of August 2026, accounting for around a third of all traffic arrests during that period.
Creecy said South Africa cannot accept the nearly 12 000 road deaths recorded annually as normal.
Government has set a target of halving annual road fatalities by 2030, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
There have already been signs of improvement.
According to Creecy, annual crashes and fatalities were more than 6% lower in 2025 than in 2024.
The 2025/26 festive season road safety campaign also recorded a 5% reduction in both crashes and fatalities, while five provinces recorded fewer deaths than during the previous festive season.
The Easter period also showed a significant improvement. During the 2026 Easter long weekend, the Road Traffic Management Corporation recorded its second-lowest number of crashes and fatalities over the past four Easter periods.
Compared with the 2024 peak, crashes were down by 24%, while fatalities fell by 39%.
However, government says the figures remain far too high.
The latest figures show just how serious the problem remains. Between 1 January and 23 August 2026, 6 457 people died on South African roads.
This was a 9% reduction compared with the same period in 2025. Pedestrians made up 48% of all road fatalities, while more than a third of deaths occurred in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
Four provinces: the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and North West, met or exceeded the 10% target for reducing fatalities.
Creecy said the progress was the result of coordinated law enforcement, partnerships with civil society and greater awareness among road users.
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