Delay for Aarto infringement points

The deadline for the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) system has been postponed to 2011.

Transport minister Sibusiso Ndebele previously said despite problems with the pilot projects for the Aarto system, the 2010 deadline was final.

“Aarto will be implemented in 2010. It will tighten law enforcement in the country. It will reduce the burden on our courts and will change the behaviour of road users.”

During the pilot, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) identified problems within law enforcement systems and procedure environments - but dismissed any recommendations that the rollout should be delayed.

Now, in a response to a parliamentary question this week, Ndebele said the allocation of demerit points to infringers will be introduced on a national basis from 1 April 2011.

Ndebele attributes this delay to the problems that emerged from the pilot projects in the municipalities of Tshwane and Johannesburg.

“These [problems] relate mainly to legislative, operational and systems aspects. To that effect, some of the legislative issues are being addressed with the amendments to the Aarto Regulations, which have been published in March 2010, whereas the related amendments to the Act are being finalised for tabling in Parliament.”

He adds that the Aarto Act, 1998 (Act 46 of 1998), is in the process of being rolled out in a staggered approach and is expected to be complete by 31 December 2010.

Other problematic aspects, according to the minister, include operational issues relating to the performance of officers, such as the accurate completion of the handwritten infringement notices and adherence to the strict timeframes for the service of documents.

The skewed balance of law enforcement statistics is also a problem, where there is a high percentage of electronically generated camera notices and a low percentage of visible policing that emphasises comprehensive law enforcement, such as vehicle roadworthiness, driver fitness and moving violations.

“Systems performance issues related to the electronic uploading of infringement information, and the online, real-time updating of transactions onto the National Contraventions Register, also have had an impact on the pilot project and had to be addressed prior to rollout,” adds Ndebele.

The RTMC says problems that were highlighted existed before Aarto was introduced. These included postal processes, lack of infrastructure, electronic versus physical enforcements, office administrative resources, skills development and training of authorised officers, and communication and marketing awareness strategies.

Ndebele now says these challenges resulted in a delay for the rollout. However, he says interventions made by the Ministry, and the supportive role played by the Department of Transport (DOT), have ensured the national rollout can be embarked upon in a phased approach within the current financial year.

He adds that the results of the pilot projects will be released by October, once the DOT has finalised the impact assessment.

When the Aarto demerit point system is implemented, the demerits will reflect against the driving licences of infringing motorists on the National Contravention Register on eNatis.

The RTMC announced it would spend over R300 million on IT and marketing for the new demerit system for motorists.

“The Department of Transport has adopted a zero tolerance stance when it comes to fraud, corruption and mismanagement. We remain committed to the reform and tightening of the regulatory regime,” says Ndebele.