Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura
A BULAWAYO motorist has been fined US$180 and banned from driving for six months after he was caught behind the wheel with an alcohol reading more than four times above the legal limit.
The level is so extreme that the average human being would struggle to remain conscious, let alone drive.
Brown James (43) of Harrisvale suburb landed in trouble after police stopped his Honda Fit at a checkpoint along Luveve Road near the Flyover on June 14 at around 8am.
He pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle with a prohibited level of alcohol concentration in his blood before Western Commonage magistrate Jeconia Prince Ncube.
Prosecutor Cathrine Kuzu told the court officers immediately noticed something was off.
The driver appeared confused, was mumbling his responses and looked visibly intoxicated.
Suspecting he had enjoyed more than a “quick one”, police escorted him for a breathalyser test.
The results were enough to make even seasoned officers raise their eyebrows.
The legal alcohol limit for ordinary motorists in Zimbabwe is 80mg per 100ml of blood, equivalent to a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent.
At that level, experts say judgment, coordination and reasoning are already significantly impaired.
James, however, allegedly recorded a staggering 1.627mg/l, a reading that translates to approximately 0.34 percent BAC.
In other words, he was more than four times above the legal limit and alarmingly close to the 0.35 to 0.40 percent range, a level widely associated with severe alcohol poisoning, coma and even death.
Medical experts say that by 0.25 to 0.30 percent BAC, most people experience severe confusion and are often unable to walk or stand without assistance. Unconsciousness commonly follows.
At 0.35 percent and above, the body’s ability to regulate basic life functions can begin shutting down.
Which is why many people may be wondering how he was still awake?
The court noted that the real miracle is not that the Honda Fit reached the checkpoint. It’s that the driver was still holding a conversation.”
After the breathalyser confirmed the excessive alcohol concentration, James was immediately arrested.
Magistrate Ncube fined him US$180 or three months in prison if he fails to pay. He was also prohibited from driving all classes of motor vehicles for six months and ordered to surrender his driver’s licence within seven days.
