Boozers will be bust
‘Drink
and drive at your
own risk’ says
uMhlathuze City
Deputy Director:
Traffic and
Licensing - Paul
Oliver
Dave
Savides
DESPITE coming
under heavy attack
for his ruthless
campaign to stop
drinking and
driving, uMhlathuze
City traffic chief -
Paul Oliver - says
the blitzes will
continue.
Oliver has endured a
barrage of
complaints over the
last three months,
including being held
responsible for a
serious decline in
pub and restaurant
business.
But he remains
undaunted and has
promised to keep
drunks off the road
with even more
vigour as the
festive season
approaches.
‘It has even been
said that I have
only been
victimising certain
establishments,
where there are
so-called soft
targets, and that
not all races have
come under the same
scrutiny.
‘But the figures say
otherwise,’ said
Oliver.
Yesterday he
revealed statistics
for the last
quarter, showing
that despite the
intensive campaign,
locals are slow in
changing their
habits.
The 21-35 age group
accounted for 60
percent of the 526
over-the-limit fines
from July to
October, with the
youngest offender
being 17 years old
and the oldest 67.
Locals made up 84
percent of the total
offenders.
One culprit was well
over seven times
beyond the 0.24mg/l
legal limit and more
than 100 drivers
exceeded 1.01mg/l -
four times over the
limit.
More than 300 had
consumed twice the
amount of alcohol
allowed.
A ‘staggering’ 39
drivers were caught
during office hours,
while 21 were nabbed
between 6-8pm, 122
between 8-10pm and
138 between 10pm and
midnight.
From midnight to
2am, 162 were nailed
with a further 98
between 2-5am.
Males (369 arrests)
far out-drank
females (14 arrests)
in the July to
September stats, and
just to show that
poor judgement has
no racial bias 143
offenders were white
males, 160 were
black males and 57
were Indian males.
