The Arrive Alive website and Road Safety Blog received a request for clarification on the Demerit System and how points will be allocated where there is a “Proxy for a fleet of vehicles”
This was referred to the RTMC and a response promptly recived. We would like to share this with our visitors/ readers:
“I refer to your question regarding clarity on the issue of demerit points.
Infringement notices will be issued as follows:
• Camera Offences: An AARTO 03 will be generated and forwarded to the relevant registered owner of the vehicle as on eNaTIS. If it is a company, the proxies Surname and Initials will appear on the notices but you will also see that his / her ID number does not appear on the notice. Therefore the offence will not be recorded against the record of the proxy but against the company. Only companies registered as operators (examples: AVIS, Budget / Taxi’s etc) will receive demerit points as per the number of vehicles in the fleet. Companies / trusts/ Cc’s will receive no Demerit Points but three times the penalty amount. With camera offences proxy of the company will have to nominate the appropriate driver on the time of the offence. The company will be guilty of an offence if no driver is nominated and will receive an additional infringement notice for failure to nominate.
• Handwritten Notices: The driver of the company vehicle will be issued directly with an infringement notice and will be liable for the notice. The company will not be penalized
Depending on the classification of the infringement or offence, or on failure to comply with the provisions of the AARTO Act, Demerit Points ranging from 1-6 will be allocated to the infringer as follows:
1. On receipt and recording of payments
2. On application to pay in installments
3. If found guilty in court of an offence (6 POINTS)
4. On issuing of an Enforcement Order
An infringer will be disqualified from driving a motor vehicle for a period of months that equals the number of points by which 12 is exceeded, multiplied by 3.
Operators: Every 1 point over the maximum of 12 points per vehicle shall result in a 3 month suspension of the operator card of that specific motor vehicle. The maximum number of demerit points that an operator may incur, based on the number of vehicles owned , is calculated per vehicle as given in the table below: Every 1 demerit point over the maximum total points will result in 1 month suspension of all operator cards.
The best information on AARTO is to be found on the AARTO website at www.aarto.co.za
We would like to extend a word of appreciation to:
Hentie Joubert
Manager: Records and Documentation : AARTO Unit
Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC)