New AARTO amendment will hit motorists hard

By Lawrence Minnie

Newly amended AARTO legislation recently passed by the National Assembly, will hit motorists who have committed offences, hard.

The AARTO (Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offenses) act has been in and out of the courts and has been reprised a number of times.  It has now been passed by the National Assembly and will soon go to the National Council of Provinces, to be signed into law by the President.

The new legislation contains ominous provisions that will see license holders and motor vehicle owners held accountable for offences by withholding license renewals, and paves the way for the implementation of the demerit points system. The new legislation has also been structured in such a way that it is set up to channel fine revenue to traffic authorities, leaving drivers unable to defend themselves if they do not follow the 30-day notice period of written objection.

While the general public applauds a system that will make the roads safer, the feeling from many is that the system will do nothing to prevent the rampant disregard for road traffic law, as it is entirely setup to generate income for the RTIA (Road Traffic Infringement Authority), who under the new legislation, have become judge, juror and executioner, as the courts have been removed from the AARTO process. This leads to the general impression that traffic law enforcement has little to do with moving violations and everything to do with income generation.

Now that the amendment bill has passed, it remains to be seen how the demerit points system will be monitored and enforced, and if withholding licenses and license discs will change driver behavior.