Demerit system to curb road carnages to be implemented soon
A demerit system has been implemented to curb road carnages caused by factors such as drunk driving and speeding. This is how it will work.
According to a statement released drunken driving and excessive speeding are two of the main traffic offences on which the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act will carry the most demerit points.
It is said that most of the road carnages that occur are mainly caused by these two traffic offences and this prompted the National Department of Transport to introduce a new demerit system which was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in August 2019.
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The rolling out of this act is starting on July 1, 2021. This means that all traffic fines across South Africa will now carry the same punitive values.
According to MMC for Community Safety Cllr Frans Mmoko not all infringements carry demerit-points with roughly half contemplated in Schedule 3 of the Aarto regulations to carry no demerit points at all. “You may incur no more than 12 demerit points without your licence being suspended.
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On the 13th point, and for every point thereafter, your licence, operator card or permit issued in terms of road transport legislation will be suspended for three months for each point over 12.
“For example, if you incur 15 demerit points, the suspension period will be nine months,” explains the Mmoko.
While the points and fines may change as the system prepares for a national roll-out, the tables below give an overview of how the points may be allocated as currently set out by the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA):
| Infringement | Fine amount | Demerit points |
| Licences and miscellaneous | ||
| Driving an unregistered vehicle | R500 | 1 |
| Driving an unlicensed vehicle | R500 | 1 |
| Driving a vehicle with licence plate not visible | R500 | 1 |
| Driving without a driving licence | R1 250 | 4 |
| Driving without a seat belt | R250 | 0 |
| Driving under influence of an intoxicating substance | as determined by the court | 6 |
| Driving while holding and using a cellphone | R500 | 1 |
| Failing to stop | ||
| Skipping a stop sign (light vehicles) | R500 | 1 |
| Skipping a stop sign (buses, trucks) | R750 | 2 |
| Skipping a red light (light vehicles) | R500 | 1 |
| Skipping a red light (buses, trucks) | R750 | 2 |
| Failing to yield to a pedestrian | R500 | 1 |
| Overtaking and overloading | ||
| Overtaking across a barrier line (light vehicles) | R500 | 1 |
| Overtaking across a barrier line (buses, trucks) | R750 | 2 |
| Overloading a vehicle with max 56,000kg combination mass by 12-13.99% | R1 500 | 5 |
| Speeding | ||
| 81-85km/h in a 60km/h zone | R750 | 2 |
| 100km/h+ in a 60km/h zone | as determined by the court | 6 |
| 106-110km/h in an 80km/h zone | R1 000 | 3 |
| 120km/h+ in an 80km/h zone | as determined by the court | 6 |
| 121-125km/h in a 100km/h zone | R750 | 2 |
| 131-135km/h in a 100km/h zone | R1 250 | 4 |
| 140km/h+ in a 100km/h zone | as determined by the court | 6 |
| 131-135km/h in a 120km/h zone | R250 | 0 |
| 141-145km/h in a 120km/h zone | R750 | 2 |
| 151-155km/h in a 120km/h zone | R1 250 | 4 |
| 160km/h+ in a 120km/h zone | as determined by the court | 6 |
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