By: Nthati Moerane
Maseru
Road crashes are the leading killer of children and youth, and they typically strike during our most productive years, causing huge health, social and economic harm throughout society.
This finding came about in a ceremony held at the Minister of public works and transport headquarters, on April 04th 2024. It was the handover of a mobile alcohol evidence centre by the Maluti Mountain Brewery (MMB).
There is elevated incidents of road fatalities, with a substantial portion attributed to driving under the influence of alcohol. The country’s fatality rate exceeds the global average by a significant margin.
Presently, law enforcement relies on blood tests to ascertain intoxication levels, a process that is notably time-intensive. It also hampers expeditious prosecutions. This delay ultimately undermines the effectiveness of deterring intoxicated individuals from operating vehicles.
Both the road safety department and MMB intend to mitigate the identified issue by embarking on a project aimed at reducing alcohol-related road – fatalities by 50% in 2030. This endeavour aligns with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.
The Lesotho Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), boasts the membership of the Maluti Mountain Brewery (MMB), a member that continues to in head LCCI’s call to embrace Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR) and investment.
Fako Hakane, representative of Lesotho Chamber of Commerce and Industry admits that the mobile alcohol evidence centre is,
“long overdue considering the carnage on our roads because of abuse of alcohol by not so responsible drivers and businesses that override stipulated control measures to restrict the sale of alcohol to underage youth.
Credit must therefore be given to MMB to have put to practise this endeavour.
This by its nature is a costly exercise, which is where the CSR kicks in, ploughing back your proceeds to the people or community,” says Hakane.
Both parties intend to achieve this through the establishment of Alcohol Evidence Centres designed to gather admissible evidence crucial for prosecuting intoxicated drivers. The anticipated outcome is a significant deterrent effect on individuals contemplating driving under the influence of alcohol.
Governments must lead mobility strategies that are rooted in good data, backed by strong laws and funds, including all sectors of society.
Businesses must put safety and sustainability at the core of their value chains. Academia and civil society must generate evidence and hold leaders to account.
According to Moqhebi Likhama, representative of the Commissioner of Police, police mandate is such that the functions and duties of police officers include stopping criminal offences before they happen.
The Alcohol Evidence Centre serves as proof that their work will be much easier, now being fully equipped with what is needed to do an efficient job. It will also help protect the society in more ways than one.
Safe mobility is a crucial aspect of the universal right to health, a fundamental right of every human. Mobility must not, and need not, come with a tragic cost in human lives, hence, driving in sobriety is crucial.
Drinking alcohol significantly increases cause of death. In high-income countries it is estimated that about 20% of fatally injured drivers have blood alcohol concentration levels above the legal limit. And studies in low- and middle-income countries show that between 33% and 69% of fatally injured drivers and between 8% and 29% of nonfatally injured drivers had consumed alcohol before their crash.