The National Prosecuting Authority has withdrawn all drunk-driving cases based on a breathalyzer test used across the country, according to a Johannesburg newspaper report. According to The Star, the Drager machines, although not defective, were suspended two weeks ago after a change in prosecutorial guidelines caused a problem with their certification.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that they had withdrawn all the pending cases that relied on the machine’s readings.
News of the problem opens an avenue for those previously convicted of drunk driving based on Drager test results to have their sentences overturned, although the NPA were optimistic this would not happen.
Metro police officers will now have to revert to taking those suspected of drunk driving to hospitals to have their blood-alcohol level tested.
Automobile Association spokesman Gary Ronald said the suspension was a "big blow" to road safety.
Ronald told The Star: "If you are driving after dark in a metropolitan area, one in 16 drivers around you will be driving drunk."
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