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Last year, we were warned that the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act would be rolled out in 2021, with a demerit system that would be phased in so that everyone could get used to the new rules.

We now have a date: July 1, 2021.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the Aarto Act into law, which brings with it new provisions of the road traffic law such as the addition of the electronic serving of infringement documents, setting up of the points demerit system, and the creation of rehabilitation centres for habitual offenders.

Head on over to the Aarto website, and you’ll find a horrendously designed interface, with all of the info you need to stay on top of things, including how to pay fines, and information relating to warrants of execution, enforcement orders, and of course, the demerit points system.

You can check out the offences that will land you with demerit points, as the system is phased in, here.

Under the new regulations, here’s a rough guide to how the points system will play out.

• Every person starts out with zero points – enjoy that clean slate and try to keep it that way.
• The offender/infringer receives a penalty, and in addition to the penalty, they also receive the demerit points allocated to the specific offence.
• The points for the offences and infringements range between six and one.
• One point is reduced every three months if no further contraventions occur within a three-month period after points are earned.
• You’re allowed to continue driving until you’ve wracked up 15 points. Every point exceeding 15 points results in a three-month suspension of the licence.
• A licence is cancelled when it has been suspended for the third time.

If you have a learner’s licence when you contravene the new laws, your demerit points will only start to reduce when your licence is issued. The maximum points that a learner driver can accumulate before the suspension of their permit are six.

If your driver’s licence is cancelled, you’re going to have to hand it over. You will then have to go through the trauma of reapplying for a new learner’s licence and driver’s licence once the disqualification period of three months is over.

It’s worth checking out, and familiarising yourself with, the Aarto website just to be on the safe side.

Also, good luck to all of the soon to be drivers out there who, with the new Act, may have just landed themselves a whole new section on that learner’s test.

You have my condolences.

[source:aarto.gov]