Recently, the Beer Sectoral Group (BSG) of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) launched the 2019 “Don’t Drink and Drive” campaign in Lagos. This was in recognition of the fact that the issue of alcohol-related road traffic crashes tops the burning factors contributing to untimely death in Nigeria and globally.
In South Africa, following the release of the 2018/2019 crime statistics, Gauteng has gained the notoriety of being the province with the most cases of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Gauteng is also one of the few provinces to see an increase in these statistics.
Managing director of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, is worried that despite extensive efforts to educate and encourage drivers to avoid driving under the influence, the expected decreases are not being recorded. “While we shouldn’t lessen our efforts to decrease the number of impaired drivers, we can improve our efforts to help unimpaired drivers avoid the danger that these drivers present,” says Herbert.
He provides the following tips on how to identify, and what to do, should you suspect a driver has consumed drugs or alcohol:
If a driver is weaving in their lane or hugging the centre line, increase the space between your vehicles and immediately put some distance between yourselves as soon as it is safe to do so.
Be aware the vision of drunk drivers can be severely affected and you should avoid travelling in front of these drivers. It is easy for them to make errors in judgement.
Additionally, avoid driving in front of a driver you believe is impaired as they may use your car for guidance and tailgate your vehicle increasing the risk of a rear-end crash.
Conversely, do not drive too closely to a driver that appears impaired as they often brake unnecessarily and suddenly.
Be cautious of impaired drivers that sometimes overcompensate by driving too slowly for the conditions.
Pay extra attention when the drunk driver approaches intersections or four-way stops. They tend to make errors like stopping at green lights or may not see a stop sign at all. The same applies when there are hazards in or close to the side of the road. For example, the driver is likely to fail to identify stationary vehicles
If you are driving on a single-lane road, rather increase the distance between yourself and the driver than risk overtaking them.
Do not engage with the drunk drivers. Rather focus your attention on placing distance between yourselves.
If you have Bluetooth, and it will not remove your attention from the impaired driver, call the authorities as soon as you can.
While the campaigns may not be as successful at reducing the number of impaired drivers as had been hoped, the above tips can help train road users on how to react when they encounter such drivers.
Flagging off their campaign in September, the BSG stated with concern that many young drivers had distinguished alcohol as stimulant to energise and give infantile strength during long hours of driving, most especially among haulage and commuter drivers.
This delinquency is gradually moving stealthily into psychopathic sense of private drivers who were regarded to be more grounded in defensive driving, they observed.