Breath test row looms in Cape
After four years, Western Cape motorists will again have their alcohol levels tested by a Dräger device.
|||Cape Town - Four years after its use was curtailed following a landmark court judgment, Western Cape motorists will again have their alcohol levels tested by a Dräger device.
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said her department had satisfied the legal requirements to start using the device again after the release of the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s road deaths report in Johannesburg on Saturday.
“We will religiously ensure that the introduction and reinforcement of the Dräger is rolled out throughout the country,” she said.
“The National Prosecuting Authority is in the process of developing guidelines to be used by prosecutors,” Peters said.
She said all traffic officials would be given training in the of the devices.
City of Cape Town Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said: “We are aware that the Western Cape government is working on reintroducing the use of the Dräger breathalyser for alcohol testing. It is hoped that the return of the device will ensure better results and led to in drunk driving cases being resolved more speedily.”
The Western Cape department of Transport and Public Works had not replied to a request for comment by last night.
In South Africa the term “Dräger” has come to refer to breath alcohol testing devices produced by German company Dräger, which produces medical and safety equipment.
In a landmark court case in September 2011, the use of a specific model of Dräger by South African authorities was found to be unreliable. The test case went to court after a Cape Town man, who had been arrested for drunk driving, argued the results of the Dräger which found him over the limit were not reliable.
Forensic scientist Dr David Klatzow, who advised the defence in the 2011 case, said the Dräger Alcotest 7110 MK 111 had numerous failings.
“If you tested the same person twice in a row with a Dräger, you receive two different answers,” he said. “Test him 25 times and you will get 25 different answers.”
Weekend Argus