SA Dealing With The Police

The police are mandated by the law to randomly check the sobriety of motorists on the road. For this reason, the police may stop any car and ask the driver for personal information such as his name and address. The police may also ask the driver to produce his driver’s license to prove his identity. The police can ask the driver for an initial breath or saliva sample to test for the presence of drugs in the driver’s blood or to test the blood alcohol concentration. The motorist must comply with all these requests by the police.

To refuse to give one’s name or address or to refuse to produce one’s license is a traffic offense. Refusing to give a breath or saliva sample for testing for drugs or alcohol is a serious traffic offense as well. Refusing to give a saliva, urine or blood sample for confirmatory testing is also a serious traffic offense for which the driver may have to enrol in the alcohol interlock scheme.