Zimbabwe's Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance is calling out the country's drunk-driving laws as totally behind the times, even though cops just got new breathalyzer equipment. SAAPA Zimbabwe coordinator Tungamirirai Zimonte told a regional media gathering that the current 0.08g blood-alcohol limit is way more lenient than what most countries use, and there's zero mention of stricter rules for bus and taxi drivers despite how much people rely on public transport.
The country logged over 52,000 road crashes with more than 2,000 deaths and 10,000 injuries, and Zimonte says just handing police breathalyzers without updating the actual policy framework misses the point entirely. He wants authorities to drop the limit to 0.05g, mandate zero tolerance for commercial drivers, tighten up liquor licensing in sketchy areas, and funnel some alcohol tax money into road safety programs.
Compared to neighbors like South Africa and Botswana, Zimbabwe's fatality rates stay stubbornly high, with human error and booze-related crashes driving most of the carnage.
The country logged over 52,000 road crashes with more than 2,000 deaths and 10,000 injuries, and Zimonte says just handing police breathalyzers without updating the actual policy framework misses the point entirely. He wants authorities to drop the limit to 0.05g, mandate zero tolerance for commercial drivers, tighten up liquor licensing in sketchy areas, and funnel some alcohol tax money into road safety programs.
Compared to neighbors like South Africa and Botswana, Zimbabwe's fatality rates stay stubbornly high, with human error and booze-related crashes driving most of the carnage.
