Apr 10, 2026 MISA, the Motor Industry Staff Association, Martlé Keyter, drunk driving epidemic, Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy
MISA comment - Drunk Driving, a deadly choice that demands accountability
MISA, the Motor Industry Staff Association, believes that South Africa’s drunk driving epidemic will only change when individuals make a conscious, personal decision to stop risking innocent lives by getting behind the wheel whilst under the influence of alcohol.
Despite warnings from Transport Minister Barbara Creecy that drunk drivers could face murder charges and amidst increased visibility from law enforcement authorities, motorists continue to drink and drive and innocent people continue to die.
In just three days, over the Easter long weekend, nearly a thousand motorists were arrested for driving under the influence. During the 2025 Festive Season of 4 106 motorist were arrested for drunk driving. “These numbers are not just statistics. They represent choices made by motorists who knowingly placed the lives of innocent people at risk. Recent incidents illustrate the devastating human cost. A groom-to-be from Newcastle was arrested for drunk driving and missed his own wedding, while his father was also detained for the same offence. In another heartbreaking case, a 14-year-old boy lost his life after taking control of a vehicle from his intoxicated father, only for it to end in tragedy,” says Martlé Keyter, MISA’s Chief Executive Officer: Operations.
Across South Africa, similar crashes involving drunk drivers continue to claim the lives of pedestrians, passengers and other motorists who had no role in the reckless decision. For MISA one live lost is one too many. The Union urges every driver to ask themselves how they would face the family who lost a loved one because of their deliberate decision to drink and drive. “Irrespective of the sentence imposed on them when found guilty, they will carry a lifelong burden of guilt and bring immeasurable shame and pain to their own family.”
“Because of the prevalence of drunk driving, new shift rosters must be considered for law enforcement officers to ensure that they are more visible at the times during which the majority of these crashes occurs. This is at night over weekends. But no amount of policing can replace personal accountability. Drunk driving is not an accident, it is a choice. Until individuals take responsibility for that choice, no law or law enforcement presence will be enough to stop these preventable tragedies,” says Keyter.
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