There has been much talk around the impending demerit system for a while now. The Parliament Portfolio Committee on Transport has tabled the final amendments to the Aarto (Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences) Bill.
Next, the National Assembly has to approve and sign this into law.
The biggest changes proposed in the bill are:
- The demerit system with a scale of 1 – 6 points for a scale of offences. If a driver has more than 12 points their driver’s licence will be suspended
- A block on getting driver’s licences and vehicle licence discs (ALV) when fines are outstanding in the driver’s name
- In the case of legal action where a summons or notice is served, instead of registered mail, the department will now be able to serve documents electronically via email and use WhatsApp and SMS to send payment reminders
- Offenders will not be able to choose to appear in court to challenge the fine or offence
According to Outa’s transport portfolio manager, Rudie Heynecke:
“The Aarto Bill will not have the desired effect of enhanced road safety as we have seen little change in road users behaviour during the Aarto pilot project run in Tshwane and Johannesburg over the past decade.”
List of infringements and demerit points
| Infringement | Fine amount | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|
|
Licences and miscellaneous
|
||
| Driving an unregistered vehicle | R500 | 1 |
| Driving an unlicensed vehicle | R500 | 1 |
| Driving a vehicle with licence plate not visible | R500 | 1 |
| Driving without a driving licence | R1,250 | 4 |
| Driving without a seat belt | R250 | 0 |
| Driving under influence of intoxicating substance | Not set | 6 |
| Driving while holding and using a cellphone | R500 | 1 |
|
Failing to stop
|
||
| Skipping a stop sign (light vehicles) | R500 | 1 |
| Skipping a stop sign (buses, trucks) | R750 | 2 |
| Skipping a red light (light vehicles) | R500 | 1 |
| Skipping a red light (buses, trucks) | R750 | 2 |
| Failing to yield to a pedestrian | R500 | 1 |
|
Overtaking and overloading
|
||
| Overtaking across a barrier line (light vehicles) | R500 | 1 |
| Overtaking across a barrier line (buses, trucks) | R750 | 2 |
| Overloading a vehicle with max 56,000kg combination mass by 12-13.99% | R1,500 | 5 |
|
Speeding
|
||
| 81-85km/h in a 60km/h zone | R750 | 2 |
| 100km/h+ in a 60km/h zone | Not set | 6 |
| 106-110km/h in an 80km/h zone | R1,000 | 3 |
| 120km/h+ in an 80km/h zone | Not set | 6 |
| 121-125km/h in a 100km/h zone | R750 | 2 |
| 131-135km/h in a 100km/h zone | R1,250 | 4 |
| 140km/h+ in a 100km/h zone | Not set | 6 |
| 131-135km/h in a 120km/h zone | R250 | 0 |
| 141-145km/h in a 120km/h zone | R750 | 2 |
| 151-155km/h in a 120km/h zone | R1,250 | 4 |
| 160km/h+ in a 120km/h zone | Not set | 6 |
Table via MyBroadband
