The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Amendment Bill was approved in the National Assembly in September last year. It introduces a demerit system where serial traffic offenders can lose their licence.
The bill still has to be adopted by the National Council of Provinces and signed off by the President. But what is the AARTO demerit points system and how will it affect South African businesses and drivers on our roads?
The AARTO system works according to a points system where drivers gradually accumulate points for infringements. If drivers have reached 12 demerit points, their licences will be suspended.
In cases where offenders do not pay their fines, the issuing authority will ultimately implement a warrant of execution and collect goods to the value of the fine. Every driver will start off with zero points and accrue them for breaking traffic rules until they reach 12 points.
At this stage, the driver’s licence will be suspended or cancelled, and they could lose professional driving permits or operator cards.
Drivers who lose their licences will be negatively affected and lose their earnings or face being moved to a non-driving job in their companies.
The company will also experience negative results such as lost productivity and revenue. The situation is reversible – one point will be deducted for every three months a driver doesn't incur points.
Fleet companies should consider a traffic fine management solution (TFMS) to help prevent these troubling situations. Outsourcing fleet management and making use of the TFMS will help companies become more proactive by finding out what the points are against a driver's identity number and taking steps to avoid negative outcomes.
TFMS will help you stay on top of all your fleet’s traffic infringements. Fine management has full dashboard capabilities and display:
The TFMS ensures that drivers take responsibility for their infringements. For greater peace of mind, Avis Fleet customers can use TFMS to access reports and view the status of traffic fines and continue to monitor their progress.
Fleet Managers can examine data and take preventative actions on infringements. The system is easy to use and will provide benefits to customers as soon as it is implemented.
Dealing with traffic infringements and AARTO regulations can be complicated and time-consuming, but that’s where Avis Fleet’s solution can make your life much easier.
Outsourcing your fleet management will also free up the administrative burdens of licensing and traffic fines, among others.
Contact to find out how you can implement this system into your fleet.