Latest news with #demeritpoints
The Herald
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Herald
Government announces start date for driving licence demerits
The government has confirmed that the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Amendment Act (Aarto) will be rolled out across the country in phases, starting on December 1. The national implementation of the long-delayed system was gazetted on Friday when President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the proclamation. The first phase will be rolled out on December 1 in 69 municipalities, with the remaining 144 municipalities to follow on April 1 2026. The demerit points system comes into effect countrywide on September 1 2026. The points demerit system is not operational yet anywhere in the country, including in Johannesburg and Tshwane where Aarto has been piloted for more than 12 years. Aarto is the government's plan to replace the existing criminal system with an administrative one. With Aarto, drivers will lose points for offences and face suspension or cancellation of their licences if they lose too many, in addition to any fine. The controversial act, originally passed into law in 1998, has been delayed numerous times and affected by legal disputes. In July 2023 the Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the government's plan to introduce a demerit system for traffic offenders, overturning an earlier high court ruling that had declared Aarto unconstitutional and invalid. The challenge was brought by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), an outspoken critic of Aarto which said the new system, rather than improving road safety, would impose an undue burden on motorists, especially those who rely on driving for their livelihoods. Outa and the AA both argued that the new law would make it easier for authorities to make money from traffic fines but won't rid the roads of dangerous drivers without proper enforcement, an area where traffic authorities have failed given the country's appalling road safety record. South Africa's road deaths average more than 10,000 a year and the cost of road crashes to the economy topped R1-trillion over the past seven years. The government maintains Aarto will be a vital tool in strengthening laws for road traffic compliance and making roads safer. It replaces the country's fragmented traffic enforcement, with different municipalities having their own bylaws. The core of Aarto is a demerit system where points are allocated for infringements, which will lead to driver's licence suspension or cancellation if too many points are accumulated. The act aims to streamline the process for adjudicating road traffic infringements by replacing courts with the Road Traffic Infringement Authority (RTIA), which is now responsible for managing the process. Aarto also allows for electronic service of notices and documents, establishing an appeals tribunal to hear appeals against decisions of the RTIA and removes the option of electing to be tried in court for an infringement. RTIA spokesperson Monde Mkalipi said: 'Aarto looks at promoting a culture of voluntary compliance, [where drivers] are ... mindful there will be consequences if they fail to change their behaviour. And these consequences are going to happen faster in that your licence will be suspended or taken away, and you'll not be able to drive.'
CTV News
28-07-2025
- CTV News
Driver stopped going 194 km/h on Hwy. 50 in Gatineau, Que.
A Surete du Quebec police car is seen at their headquarters in Montreal on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi A 20-year-old Gatineau, Que. man is facing $3,700 worth of fines after being stopped speeding 193 km/h in Gatineau. The Sûreté du Québec says an officer observed a vehicle travelling 193 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on Highway 50, near the Draveurs Bridge, at approximately 4 a.m. Saturday. Police say the driver received tickets totalling $3,703 and 18 demerit points for speeding, driving a vehicle without the proper class driver's licence and driving with more passengers than there were seatbelts in the vehicle. The vehicle was also impounded for 30 days. Last week, police stopped a Gloucester man going 204 km/h on Highway 5 near Chelsea, que. The 27-year-old received a $1,911 ticket and 24 demerit points. His licence has been suspended for seven days, and his motorcycle was towed, police said.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Yahoo
Warning to Aussies as one driver cops 22 demerit points in one go
NSW Traffic and Highway Patrol are holding the driver up as an example after he was caught doing 129 km/h on the Hume Highway. Aussie drivers are being reminded to follow the road rules after an L Plater copped a whopping 22 demerit points in one hit. New South Wales Traffic and Highway Patrol are holding the driver up as an example after he was caught doing 129 kilometres per hour on the Hume Highway. The learner driver was also not displaying yellow L plates on his car and had a mobile phone playing a YouTube video positioned near the steering wheel. When police questioned the A passenger about her role as a supervisor, she claimed she was asleep. The offences resulted in numerous fines totaling $1,775.22 demerit points. However, because learner drivers can only accumulate a maximum of 4 demerit points, he was automatically suspended from driving with a pending extension from New South Wales Transport. The female passenger also copped a penalty infringement for failing to supervise.
Malay Mail
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
Transport minister: Kejara demerit point system a failure, major overhaul on the way
SHAH ALAM, June 13 — The demerit point system for traffic offences (Kejara) will undergo a major overhaul as it is not effective in its current state, Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said. Currently, the Kejara only issues a demerit when a summons is paid. 'The system is that, only if you have paid the summons, then you will be considered to have committed an offence and then your points are deducted. 'Our problem is, many people don't pay their summonses. So this system is a failed system. 'As the transport minister, I'm openly admitting that this is a failed system because if the demerit points are only deducted once a summons is paid, then offenders will think that it's better to not pay up,' Loke told reporters after his work visit to the Scania Malaysia headquarters here today. He stressed that the government will continue with Kejara, but it will undergo major changes. 'Firstly, it will not be a point system that is based on a paid summon. 'We are already looking into it from the aspects of law and its application,' he said. The Kejara demerit point system was introduced in 2016. In September 2018, the Transport Ministry released an updated demerit point system as a part of its new Automated Awareness Safety System (AWAS), with changes to the scoring and levels at which penalties are applied.
