…reduces alcohol limit from 100mg to 50mg
Rethabile Pitso
WITH effect from April 2026 motorists whose blood alcohol concentration exceeds 50 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood would be deemed to have broken the law, following a decision to reduce the current legal limit from 100 milligrams.
Public Works and Transport Minister, Matjato Moteane, said this in an interview with Lesotho Times this week after a meeting held to deliberate on the outcomes of the festive season road awareness campaign aimed at curbing drunk driving.
The campaign was jointly conducted by the Department of Road Safety, the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) and the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) at random accident-prone hotspots across the country.
Findings from the campaign identified drunk driving as the leading cause of the high number of road accidents recorded, particularly over the just-ended festive season when accidents peaked.
A total of 4 028 accidents were recorded on public roads over the holidays, resulting in 1 863 injuries and 228 deaths.
Mr Moteane said the new alcohol limit aligns Lesotho with regional standards, where some neighbouring countries have set the blood alcohol threshold below 100 milligrams.
“It was only a matter of time before we adjusted to the appropriate limit and placed ourselves on par with our counterparts in the region, such as South Africa,” Mr Moteane said.
“We were second only to Zambia in the region in terms of high alcohol tolerance, and that needed to change.”
He said he had approved the introduction of a 50-milligram limit, which he hopes will come into effect on April 1, 2026.
“Since the drafting of an Act can take a long time, we will proceed with drafting regulations to be presented to Parliament for approval. Within the next two months, I would expect implementation of the proposed change,” he said.
During Friday’s meeting, the Department of Road Safety led the session, presenting alarming festive season statistics which revealed unacceptable conduct by motorists, particularly driving under the influence.
A survey presented by Road Safety representative, ’Mamonyane Taoana, showed that 36 percent of adult pedestrians died in road-related accidents, while 30 percent of the deceased were passengers. Vehicle drivers accounted for only 18 percent of the deaths.
Ms Taoana said that in terms of injuries, 48 percent of adult passengers, along with 21 percent of drivers were maimed.
The survey further revealed that more male motorists caused accidents than females, with most offenders falling within the 31 to 40 age group.
She noted that drivers aged 21 and below were less likely to cause accidents, followed closely by motorists aged 71 and above.
According to the full report, the high number of road accidents in Lesotho is largely attributable to drunk driving, a trend that prompted Mr Moteane to push for the reduction of the legally permitted alcohol limit for drivers.
In her remarks, Senior Vehicle Inspector, ’Malitsitso Ntlama, said drunk driving and non-compliance with traffic regulations were among the major challenges encountered during the campaign.
“Throughout our campaigns, we urge motorists to routinely inspect their vehicles to ensure roadworthiness,” Ms Ntlama said.
“Despite this, we continue to encounter many unroadworthy vehicles, including those fitted with ‘re-grooved’ tyres, where old tyres are manually refreshed by mechanics for resale.”
She warned motorists against buying retreaded tyres, saying they pose a serious threat to the lives of drivers and other road users.
“At present, we do not have specific standards to regulate against this practice, but legislation will soon be introduced to address it.”
Ms Ntlama also raised concern over the high number of government vehicles found to be non-compliant.
“We encountered many government vehicles that were not up to date with registration plates or disc renewals. This is a practice we do not condone, and fines were issued to their drivers,” she said.
