[Cartoday]
After a 48-year wait, the Automobile Association has officially launched AARTO (the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences) in Tswane. This system includes a points demerit system and changes to the way traffic offences are dealt with on an administrative level.
A pilot scheme utilising the points demerit portion of AARTO will take place in Tswane, with a rollout to Johannesburg expected towards the end of this year. AARTO aims to target repeat traffic offenders by 
adding points to their licence each time an offence is committed, in addition to a fine. If a person accrues more than 12 points, their licence is suspended, with the number of points in excess of 12 being multiplied by three to give the length of the suspension. For example, 14 points means two extra points times three: a six-month suspension.Points are reduced at the rate of one point for every three months in which no additional demerit points were incurred. Demerit points accumulated by unlicensed or learner drivers will only start to reduce when these drivers are issued with a licence, and unlicensed drivers will now be arrested if caught more than twice.Should drivers elect to go to court, demerit points are only recorded if they are found guilty of an offence. If they appeal against a conviction by the court, no demerit points are recorded unless the appeal is rejected or abandoned.Automobile Association of South Africa (AASA) head of public affairs, Rob Handfield, has stated that the AASA is strongly supportive of the scheme, but acknowledges a number of obstacles still need to be overcome to ensure its effective implementation.“The AA is strongly supportive of AARTO and the systematic administration method it introduces; it provides an excellent framework for the reduction of crashes,” said Handfield – Jones. “The fly in the ointment is the poor quality of law enforcement. The budgets of many municipalities receive a large contribution from traffic law enforcement, and the focus has been on securing this revenue stream, usually by speed trapping,” he added.Handfield has also encouraged motorists to visit the AARTO website to familiarise themselves with the details of the system.According to the AA, enforcement rates for serious offences that directly caused fatal collisions were negligible, stating that less than one percent of all notices were issued for such offences as reckless driving, barrier line offences and unsafe overtaking. Conversely, almost 66 percent of notices issued were for speeding offences. The AA said selective enforcement of lucrative offences was one of the main reasons that the risk of death on South African roads had virtually doubled from 1998 to 2006.“The AA is concerned that people are now at risk of unfair victimisation over repeated minor infractions resulting from revenue-driven enforcement,” said Handfield – Jones. “These consequences could include people being registered on credit bureaux or having their insurance premiums hiked. People could also have their movable assets attached, or even lose their driving licences. The benefits of AARTO will only be unlocked by enforcement which targets truly dangerous drivers ahead of revenue generation,” he added.Another area that concerns the AA regarding the effective implementation of AARTO is the high number of drivers who drive without a licence, or with an illegally obtained licence, noting that up to half of all drivers in the country may be in this category. “These drivers fall outside the AARTO enforcement net,” said Handfield – Jones. “Their ever-accumulating demerit points may even deter them from obtaining a valid licence.”The AA repeated its recent calls for a thorough overhaul of enforcement and licensing in South Africa to ensure that drivers are encouraged to obtain a legal licence, and drive to high standards under the ongoing oversight of the enforcement authorities. “If the Department of Transport can fix licensing and enforcement, AARTO will really come into its own,” Handfield – Jones concluded.