Don't let alcohol steer your fate
This holiday season, stay on the right road
Every year, lives are forever changed because of one bad decision
Drinking and driving
A wrong turn you can’t undo
Everyone has taken a wrong turn before—sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively. A moment of distraction, a bad decision, or even just following the wrong advice can take people places they never intended to go.
This campaign uses that universal experience to highlight the dangers of drinking and driving. By reimagining drunk driving as a dangerous detour—one that leads to arrest, injury, or even tragedy—we’re making the consequences feel immediate and real.
Using maps, road signs, and familiar travel imagery, the campaign shows how quickly “just one drink” can take you off course. And how staying on the right track is the only way to truly get home safe.Stay on the right path—or take a detour you’ll regret.
Don’t drink and drive:
A National Priority
Alcohol consumption and other behavioural factors remain key contributors to South Africa’s high rate of road accidents, injuries, and fatalities. In response, AWARE.org is committed to reducing drunk driving incidents by 50% by 2030 - aligned with the United Nations Global Road Safety target and the National Road Safety Strategy 2016–2030. This is more than a campaign - it’s a movement.
Driving real change with strategic partnerships
Through a powerful proof-of-concept with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), we signed a game-changing memorandum of understanding with the Road Transport Management Corporation (RTMC).
The goal
Stronger law enforcement = Fewer drunk drivers on our roads. And it’s working.
Thanks to these joint efforts, Gauteng saw a 6% drop in drunk driving in 2023 (JMPD figures) - a milestone that proves targeted enforcement can save lives.
Working Together to Eliminate Drinking and Driving on SA Roads
Solutions to alcohol-related deaths
In a recent interview with Rofhiwa Madzena on @eNCA, AWARE.org CEO Mokebe Thulo spoke about the AWARE.org Road Safety Roundtable — a powerful industry conversation focused on reducing alcohol-related road incidents and promoting safer driving in South Africa.
She emphasised the importance of a whole-of-society approach, where individuals, businesses, government and civil society all play a role in driving real change on our roads.
Off the road. On the path to change.
Punishment alone can’t solve South Africa’s drunk driving crisis. That’s why we’re backing a new approach—one that prioritizes accountability and long-term change. Through behavioral intervention programmes like NICRO, we’re seeing powerful results.
Offenders referred
Instead of prosecution, 275 individuals were given the chance to complete behaviour change programmes.
Did not re-offend
The vast majority of participants stayed on the right path after completing the intervention.
Purpose over punishment
These second-chance stories are shifting how we think about justice—focusing on rehabilitation, not just retribution.
AWARE.org's road safety initiative model.
Our fight against drunk driving isn’t just about awareness—it’s about action. The AWARE.org Road Safety Initiative is a five-point model designed to drive measurable change on South Africa’s roads
Target DUI hotspots
· Identify and focus on high-risk areas
· Share and consolidate data with partners
· Agree on optimal roadblock sites, targets, and times
· Aid in training and resourcing law enforcement teams
Facilitate more frequent DUI roadblocks
· Use tools like drunk goggles to demonstrate impairment
Improve alcohol testing at roadblocks
· Ensure accurate, efficient, and lawful testing practices
· Optimise the use of Evidential Breath Alcohol Testing (eBAT)
Strengthen convictions
· Accelerate real-time data capturing at checkpoints
· Deploy trained data capturers on site
· Prepare valid, digital court-ready dockets for prosecution
Provide opportunities for behaviour change
· Divert qualifying offenders into NICRO’s behaviour change programmes
· Disseminate information and resources to promote long-term change
· This model doesn’t just aim to catch offenders—it’s designed to prevent harm, reform behaviour, and protect lives.
Make this season safer for everyone