Breathalysers will soon become the only evidence needed to convict Western Cape drivers charged with drinking while being behind the wheel.

The Western Cape government will reintroduce evidentiary breath alcohol testing (Ebat) on August 1.

“Alcohol plays a causal role in a large proportion of fatal crashes in the Western Cape‚” a Western Cape government statement read. “Drivers who continue to risk their lives and the lives of other citizens heedlessly‚ who destroy taxpayer-funded infrastructure‚ and who take policing resources away from attending to other crimes are reminded that‚ unlike blood alcohol testing‚ Ebat results are immediate.”

The Ebat‚ like a conventional breathalyser‚ uses a machine which reads how much alcohol is in a person’s breath. It is called “evidentiary” because the reading can be used as evidence in the prosecution of offenders and is accepted by the courts.

And the new system eliminated waiting periods of up to six months for blood results‚ said Western Cape government spokesperson Byron la Hoe.

“Because the results of an Ebat test are instant‚ the case can be dealt with swiftly and efficiently. The immediate release of the innocent and the swift conclusion of cases for the guilty are the main reasons Ebat has serviced the interests of DUI cases with such distinction all over the world‚” La Hoe said.
He added that once an efficiency assessment was done‚ the programme could be rolled out nationally.