The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) says that it is making progress on the phased national rollout of the new Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic offences system, with phase 2 of the project started on 1 October.

Phase 1 of the Aarto, which ran from July to September 2021, has seen the RTIA increase its national footprint through the implementation of seven service outlets and online services such as the Aarto website and deployment of the Aarto mobile application.

The Aarto system will penalise drivers and fleet operators who are guilty of traffic offences or infringements by imposing demerit points that could lead to the suspension or cancellation of licences, professional driving permits or operator cards. These new driving rules have been developed and communicated by the Road Traffic Infringement Agency on 1 October 2021.

“The demerit points system will provide for an easy and objective mechanism of identifying habitual infringers so that the applicable penalties can be imposed,” said Minister of Transport, Joe Maswanganyi. He added that those that continue to break the laws will find themselves ultimately losing their driving licences through suspensions and cancellations of their driver’s licences.

As then there is Phase 2 coming up next. Phase 2 will run between October and December 2021, where the Aarto system will come online in 67 local and metropolitan municipal areas. “Phase 2 in the period between October and December 2021 will witness the proclamation of the AARTO ACT 46 OF 1998 as amended in 67 local and metropolitan Municipal areas coming online with the AARTO process,” ETIA said