The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has dismissed claims that it has quietly implemented the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) demerit system.
This follows the circulation of an e-mail stating the demerit system for motorists had been implemented. The e-mail says the Department of Transport (DOT) was “going full-out” and had implemented the system nationally.
The e-mail also contains a list of possible violations, maximum fines and demerits attached to the various violations. It also explains that points are attached to motorists through their ID number on the national system and warns motorists, saying they can unknowingly lose their licence.
“This has caused an unnecessary panic [for] the members of the public and is utterly untrue. Telephone calls have been received from the public enquiring about the countrywide roll-out, which apparently started last night, according to these false claims, and the RTMC would like to dismiss all such claims,” says Thandi Moya, communications manager for the RTMC.
The company is tasked with the roll-out and facilitation of Aarto, and has piloted the new points demerit system in the Tshwane and Johannesburg Metropolitan areas. It is preparing to implement it nationally later this year.
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 also announced it would spend over R300 million on IT and marketing for the new demerit system for motorists.
The RTMC previously stated the system would be implemented in 2010. While no exact dates have been set, the system is expected to go live after April. Moya says the exact day of the national roll-out will be confirmed and made public “in due course”.
She emphasises that only official announcements made by the DOT and the RTMC should be taken as official confirmation on Aarto's implementation details.
“Information on how the Aarto system works and the allocation of points will be supplied by these centres [the DOT and RTMC] as the legitimate source of information. Therefore, the public should refrain from absorbing any floating information on Aarto as facts unless articulated by the department or the RTMC as the source,” says Moya.
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