The demerit-based enforcement system set to be implemented in December with the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Aarto will see motorists allocated points for offences they have committed and face the suspension or cancellation of their licences if they accumulate too many, in addition to any penalty fee they have to pay. The Road Traffic Infringement Agency, spokesperson Monde Mkalipi, spoke to Sowetan about the process.
Sowetan: Why are you implementing Aarto?
Mkalipi: The main intention of Aarto is to change the behaviour of road users because we have a high number of fatalities on our roads. Annually, we have an average of 12,000 to 14,000 people who die on our roads. Aarto, and the points system in particular, seeks to deter motorists from violating the laws of the road. .
Sowetan: How will the system work?
Mkalipi: A motorist who breaks the law would get a ticket, and when they admit guilt by paying, the demerit points would be allocated to them. Each road user will start at the zero point. If they accumulate 16 points, that means they have one point over the threshold, which is 15, and they will be off the road for three months. For every demerit point to fall away, you must be off the road for three months. So if you have 18, it means you are going to be off the road for nine months.