Watch: New SA road safety ad cranks up the controversy to strongly condemn drunk driving [video]

The Western Cape transport department has shown they are not messing about when it comes to drunk driving, as latest reports show the province has the highest level of drunken motorists in SA.

This weekend, they’ve rolled out their Random Breath Testing (RBT) scheme, which brings an increase of roadblocks and officers on duty to pull drivers over at will and use a handheld breathalyser to catch drinkers acting irresponsibly.

Read: Drink driving could soon be treated as serious as rape or murder – minister

The video to raise campaign awareness shows two young lads, who are friends at school. Their lives take two significantly different paths as they grow up: One works his way to a university degree, the other one succumbs to a life of crime and drugs.

The ad is not afraid to go to some dark places – the graduate friend is thrown in a cell having been caught at an RBT checkpoint after drinking too much wine, but the drug user is hauled in next to him… For stabbing and robbing an elderly man.

The message is as clear as it is brutal: Drunk driving is a life-threatening crime, and the punishment you’ll face will reflect that.

Did they go too far? You can be the judge, and watch the video  (titled ‘Boys’) here: