Plans are on track for the nationwide rollout of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) act on July 1.Signed into law by the president in 2019, Aarto makes way for the implementation of a new driver demerit system – a move that has been in the works for more than a decade.According to a spokesman for the ministry of transport, R545 million has been allocated to the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) to fund the rollout, R215 million of which has been allocated to the current financial year.Dr Kaine Monyepao, RTIA deputy registrar: strategy development, monitoring and evaluation, said the new act allowed the government to address habitual road traffic offenders through a point system that would ultimately see those that did not comply removed from the road completely by cancelling licences and forcing them to be retested before being allowed behind a steering wheel again.Acknowledging the scepticism about Aarto, he said whilst there were still some challenges, including implementation and enforcement, the fact remained that the new legislation would ultimately result in safer roads.Dr Monyepao said the act would be implemented in stages and points would not be accumulated for all of the current 2500 offences. All drivers start with zero points. Initially, only a select few offences will be applicable on the demerit system. It is also highly unlikely that the demerit system will be activated immediately and this will only come later in the rollout of the new system.Initially, only a select few offences will be applicable on the demerit system.– Dr Kaine Monyepao“
