The driver's licence point demerit system will be rolled out in phases, as there are still problems with the system, says transport minister Sibusiso Ndebele.
While the minister previously stated the 2010 deadline for the national roll-out of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (Aarto) is final, he has now indicated the deadline will not apply to all provinces.
Ndebele admitted to problems with the system, but downplayed any concerns, saying issues were “minor” and would be resolved this year.
Following parliamentary questions posed by the DA's shadow minister for transport, Stuart Farrow, the minister noted the national roll-out would depend on how successfully problems experienced in the trial phases were solved before deadline.
Ndebele also revealed that over 675 881 Aarto fines, to the value of R347 million, had been issued by Pretoria officials alone since the system was piloted. Of that total, 31 240 fines were cancelled because the paperwork had not been completed correctly. Cancellations also occurred because laws were flouted and fines were not issued within 40 days after the transgression occurred.
In a statement from the department, following the release of the parliamentary responses, Ndebele said he was “confident that Aarto is to be implemented throughout SA later this year and would significantly reduce road crashes and deaths”.
Aarto is facilitated by the RTMC to ensure the functioning of its systems and processes, with law enforcement being the key focus.
Pilot problems
The demerit system will penalise drivers and operators who are guilty of infringements or offences through the imposition of demerit points leading to the suspension and cancellation of driving licences, professional driving permits or operator cards.
During the pilot, the RTMC identified problems within the law enforcement, systems and procedure environments that existed before Aarto was launched. 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.
The National Metropolitan Police Chiefs Forum also sent a report to Ndebele, listing additional problems, which include eNatis's handling of payments, the unlawful issuing of fines and several transgressions of the Aarto Act.
The RTMC responded by saying that concerns about the Aarto point demerit system would be addressed in time and that the system would be implemented throughout the country in 2010.
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