How much does a beer really cost?

“I’ll have one beer and then drive home.” These are the words of many South Africans. We’ve all either done this or have friends who utter these silly words. This is not an article condoning having “one for the road”. Instead, we are going to highlight the true cost of drinking and driving.

We know the warnings, the implications of these actions and yet still a lot of us believe we are invincible, and choose to ignore the realities of what really could happen.

Let’s sum it up.

One beer equals to 1.5 units, and one unit is equal to 0.02g blood alcohol level (the legal limit in South Africa), or more depending on your size.

Which means that if you are of normal size then you legally cannot even have one drink or beer before getting into your car. If you do, you pretty much need to make sure that you have a good lawyer.

The true cost of that beer.

If you still choose to take the risk and get caught, the cost of your beer will no longer cost you the general R25 (or R80.00 if you enjoy the brands made popular by bearded connoisseurs).

So what are the actual legal implications and costs of just one drink?

You will be arrested and charged
You will be kept in custody until you can post bail
You will face a fine of up to R120 000 or a two-year prison sentence, or both, depending on:

Previous convictions against you
Circumstances surrounding your arrest

You could be liable for fines of up to R120 000 and your driver’s license could be suspended.

Still not convinced to take an Uber or some sort of a taxi service that will get you from A to B? Then maybe you should consider taking out Legal Cover. Not that we are condoning drinking and driving because you could quite literally kill someone. But, the reality is, if you find yourself in the type of a situation where you get caught drunk and driving, how will you get yourself out?

It’s called Personal Legal Cover, and from just R130 per month, if you find yourself in a situation like this, this will cover not only your legal expenses, but also get you post bail, and out of jail (for the night).

Interested? To get an instant quote from one of our Legal Cover insurers, and make sure that if you get caught drinking and driving, your charge is taken care of, click here.