By Sharyn Macnamara

What would you say if there was a 45-minute course your team could attend on site that would help to entrench auto sobriety and, by extension, help to reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities and injuries beyond the mine gates, and in the long term retain skills and help build the economy?

Pexels | Weekendplayer

African Mining has had the privilege of experiencing the Auto-Sobriety Training Programme, aimed at preventing drinking and driving, delivered locally by MasterDrive – a driver training organisation that assists companies in managing driver risk interventions, in Gauteng, KZN, PE and Cape Town. The programme attempts to directly influence the UN Global Road Safety Performance Target 9, which aims to halve the number of road traffic injuries and fatalities related to drivers using alcohol by 2030 and/or achieve a reduction in those related to other psychoactive substances.

 

Auto-sobriety Training Programme

The programme is the result of a partnership between the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR – a dedicated training arm of the United Nations system) and Pernod Ricard, entered into on 22 June 2020 with the objective of rolling it out globally in countries where the reduction of alcohol-related road accidents is a priority. The programme was launched in March, 2021 locally in the eThekwini Municipality in South Africa; in May 2021 in the Dominican Republic with arrangements made to extend the programme to the Andean community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) in August the same year; in 2022 in Yucatan in Mexico, Ecuador and Poland; and in 2023 in Cambodia, Vietnam, Spain, China, Jalisco in Mexico and Thailand – all in aid of reducing the social impact and economic losses resulting from road fatalities and injuries in developing countries. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), “safe mobility is the biggest single ‘quick win’ the world can achieve in reducing mortality in low- and middle-income countries and in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health, cities and infrastructure, where road safety plays an important role.”1

The Auto-Sobriety Training Programme has since demonstrated an impact with attendees’ increased knowledge of the dangers of drinking and driving and shifting intentions not to drink and drive. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global status report on road safety 2023 shows that the number of global annual road traffic deaths has fallen slightly to 1.19 million, indicating that efforts are starting to improve road safety, and moreover, that significant reductions in road traffic deaths can be achieved if proven measures are applied. “Despite this, the price paid for mobility remains too high. Road traffic injuries remain the leading killer of children and young people aged 5-29 years with more than half of fatalities occurring among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists – in particular those living in low and middle-income countries.” More urgent action is needed if Target 9 is to be achieved by 2030.2

 

Shocking local stats

Derek Kirby, Training director at MasterDrive, and a paramedic in his spare time, sets the scene locally, “In 2023 there were 12 545 casualties on South African roads – 10 611 crashes were fatal with approximately 34 deaths daily – and this does not include deaths related to crashes after arrival at hospital. ” It is estimated that alcohol use is involved in 27% of fatal crashes, amounting to around 2 875 deaths in 2023.3 He emphasises that this is the equivalent of almost 8 fatal airline crashes – each aeroplane carrying 368 passengers.

Kirby says, “WHO estimates that by the end of 2025 road traffic conditions and incidents will be the number one killer of people – this is compared to all other diseases including HIV, AIDS, heart attack, diabetes.” He emphasises that drunk driving is one of the largest contributors to deaths on our roads (with mobile phone usage while driving and drivers on medication being other big contributors) and it is imperative that driver behaviour changes to turn this around. Although this kind of behaviour happens outside the mine gates, it is a real risk that all mine employees face when they travel to and from work.

Apart from training up some members of the JMPD and City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, currently MasterDrive is committed to taking this programme to 1000 people per month with a view to expanding training efforts to other parts of SADC in the long term. The company is also focussed on studying human behaviour – how the human mind works, how it retains and recalls information – to incorporate learnings into training that will help to change driver behaviour as well as assist drivers to react appropriately when faced with the erratic behaviour of other drivers under the influence.

 

Knowledge is power

The programme itself covers the components of alcohol, how it is absorbed into the human body and its effects – being a central nervous system (CNS) depressant which impairs functions related to judgement, control and cognition. The truth of the matter is that one cannot hide the presence of alcohol in the blood stream, nor can one accelerate its elimination from the body. The programme busts common myths – eating; drinking water, coffee or energy drinks; inducing vomiting; taking cold showers, drinking, exercising and sleeping do not induce sobriety. The fact of the matter is that, on average, an adult’s liver is only capable of processing approximately 8g of pure alcohol per hour.

The programme also covers the legislation in South Africa governing drinking and driving and the consequences of breaking the law. The amount of alcohol in the blood can be measured through Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) and the National Road Traffic Act 93/1996, in effect since March 1998, says that “no person on a public road shall drive a vehicle, occupy a driver’s seat of a motor vehicle, the engine of which is running, while the concentration of alcohol is not less than 0.05 grams per 100 millilitres of blood (Section 65)”; while the BAC limit for professional and commercial drivers is 0.02g/100ml. “A BAC of 0.05ml/100ml means that if you drink more than 350ml of beer or a tot of brandy or any other spirit and you get in the car within an hour of drinking it, you are in fact over the limit,” explains Kirby. He also notes that breathalyser technology like the Draeger machine now enables quicker and more effective prosecution of drunk drivers (without having to verify levels through blood tests) as it delivers an immediate and accurate reading of the alcohol level in a driver’s blood stream – the machine produces a printout showing the date, time and alcohol levels to be used as evidence at the time of arrest.

The reality is that drinking and driving is a criminal offense in South Africa and if a person is found guilty of drunk driving, s/he could face up to six years in prison, could be liable for a fine of up to R120 000, could have his/her licence suspended and could end up with a criminal record that could have serious consequences for life.
After taking this course, the only responsible thing left to do is to NOT drink and drive or to arrange a designated driver you can trust to take you home, should you wish to consume alcohol.
For more information go to: MasterDrive advanced driver training for safer drivers: https://www.masterdrive.co.za/ 4

References:

  1. https://unece.org/about-un-road-safety-fund. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to promote economic cooperation and integration among its member states.
  2. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240086517
  3. Auto-Sobriety Training Programme presentation; source: South African Road Traffic Management Corporation
  4. MasterDrive offers defensive driving too, the definition of which is to drive as to prevent a collision, despite the incorrect actions of other road users in any road or weather conditions.
About:
The Minerals Council South Africa has established a Public Transport and Commuting Guideline to help define minimum recommended requirements to eliminate or minimise the risk of fatalities, injuries and incidents arising from the use of light vehicles, multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs/minibuses), buses and highway trucks. This visual guideline applies to all employees, contractors and visitors; and vehicle(s) owned by mining companies or contracted services – such as surface-operated, light vehicles, utility task vehicles, buses and highway trucks used by mining companies and their operations for work-related activities. This includes private vehicles that are being used for business purposes.
Dushendra Naidoo, head: Safety and Sustainable Development Department at the Minerals Council notes, “The guideline was generated by the Minerals Council South Africa with collaborative inputs attained from mining companies in the hope that the industry uses this information as a tool to fortify their respective individual standards and to ensure that minimum requirements are met. Our mission is to look at proactive measures to prevent a recurrence of the past tragic commuting incidents that have taken place resulting in many lives lost on our public roads. This initiative is particularly important as many of our workforce rely on public transport, and we believe this step will improve their commuting experience, reduce risks and promote healthier and more sustainable travel options. We welcome further innovations in this space, especially those that leverage technology, improve energy efficiency or enhance the safety and convenience of public transport for workers in all sectors. Collaborating on such advancements aligns with our broader vision of enabling a safer, more resilient, and future-ready mining industry.” For a copy of the guideline, visit: https://www.africanmining.co.za/