South African motorists can expect stricter driving rules with the introduction of a demerit system by the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act.
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In essence, the demerit point system aims to dissuade drivers from disregarding traffic regulations by placing their driving privileges at risk when they violate the law.
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The Aarto Act, already implemented in Johannesburg and Tshwane, is set to be launched across the country. Under this system, drivers will face penalties and accumulate points for committing traffic violations.
Initially, drivers will have a clean slate with zero points, but they will start earning demerit points through the Aarto process.
Currently, the maximum threshold stands at 12 points, and surpassing this limit will result in various consequences, such as licence suspension or cancellation.
Under the new legislation, drivers will be penalised and earn demerits for administrative offences as well, including the failure to update one’s address.
If the accumulated demerit points surpass the threshold, the suspension of a driving licence will occur for a duration of three months per demerit point exceeding the threshold. It should be noted that the suspension period is not limited to three months only.
For instance, if the threshold is set at 12 points and the accumulated points reach 15 before suspension, the resulting suspension period will be nine months. Similarly, if the threshold is 15 points and 17 points are accumulated prior to suspension, the suspension period will be six months.
A driving licence or operator card can only be suspended twice. While a driving licence is suspended, the licence holder is prohibited from driving. Likewise, during the suspension of an operator card, the corresponding vehicle cannot be operated.
Driving with a suspended licence is considered a criminal offence. Similarly, operating a vehicle while the associated operator card is suspended is also considered a criminal offence.
If a driving licence or operator card has already been cancelled twice and additional demerit points exceeding the threshold are accumulated, the licence or card will be cancelled and the driver will have to start over with a earner’s license once the ban period has expired.
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Picture: Western Cape Government
