The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Amendment Bill could potentially negatively impact vehicle rental, coach and bus operators as drivers and vehicles could rack up demerit points and thus be “knocked out of operation”.
The AARTO Bill’s proposed demerit system – set for implementation in June – will see both drivers and vehicles accumulate demerit points, which could result in suspension and cancellation of licences.
Mindful of the risks posed to drivers and fleet owners operating within the tourism industry, the Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (Savrala) is working with several government and private-sector role players to ensure that the Bill will achieve its main purpose of ensuring road safety and not just become another revenue-generating scheme.
GM of Savrala, Sandile Ntseoane, told Tourism Update that the association was working with the Department of Transport through the National Economic Development and Labour Council and Business Unity South Africa to mitigate some of the potential risks of the Bill in its current form.
“We have participated in all the relevant committees, working groups and discussions that have occurred over the past five years,” said Ntseoane. “We will also be tabling our concerns to the Portfolio Committee on Tourism Strategic Planning Session via TBCSA, and highlighting the impact of the implementation of AARTO on tourism.”
He said it was imperative to highlight the severely adverse impact AARTO would have on business, before any real positive impact was felt in road safety. “We believe more active focus could be placed on proactive road traffic policing and visibility by all authorities.
“It may be preferable to put the necessary resources and focus in place to change driver behaviour before an infringement takes place than to have an efficient administrative system after the infringement has been recorded.”
Ntseoane emphasised that the car-hire industry supported road safety interventions such as AARTO, which serve to improve the quality of driving on the country’s roads and reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities. “One of Savrala’s key priorities is the safety of all drivers on our roads and we have no objection, in principle, to a demerit system applied to South African drivers,” he said.
“Many countries have successful, easy-to-use, and fair traffic infringement and offence systems with demerit points, so a thorough, fair and effective system could assist in improving driving standards, and thereby contribute to reducing accidents, injuries and fatalities.”
Ntseoane added that the proposed system could be very effective if it was redesigned to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and costs, have a fair fine redirection process and no vehicle demerit points.
Savrala, along with many other associations and civil society organisations such as OUTA (Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse) and the Justice Project South Africa, has sent comments on the draft regulations published for public comment in October 2019 by the Department of Transport.
