In response to Brian Hoare’s letter (“Cops can’t judge drunk drivers”, People’s Post , 26 January): First of all, I would like to correct Hoare on his inability to read statistics.
Statistics show that speed, as well as drunk driving, are the highest causes of road accidents in South Africa. We are not looking at American statistics, we must look at the South African statistics.
He obviously has not read those statistics or watched TV to find out these basic statistics.
As an ex-cop I can tell you right away that you don’t need to have blood tests – those were brought in to “concrete” the offence of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Drunk driving is an offence that can be affected merely by getting the person to blow on an alcometer. If the person blows on the alcometer, and the alcometer has been tested and verified by SABS (which it has been before they go out onto the road), on this alone you can have a person arrested for a drunk driving offence.
Drunk driving and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs are two different and separate offences.
Obviously, Hoare does not know the law correctly.
Furthermore, the statistics actually show that one is more likely to be killed by a drunk driver than a sober one.
Please get your facts straight before going to the newspaper in order to make a representation about something you know little of.
And finally, you do not wait for an accident to happen in order to prove that the person was drunk; a law enforcement officer must in the carrying out of his duties be seen to be preventing the accidents or collisions before they happen.
Therefore, traffic law enforcement officers have the full right given to them by the state to be able to make a refined decision based on the training and the authority of the state.
It is people like you who are the real problem.
Graham Clarke,
