The National Assembly has passed the latest Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences amendment bill.
The bill aims to introduce new road traffic violation rules, removing the courts from the AARTO process and replacing them with a dedicated authority.
The bill will now be directed to the National Council of Provinces for adoption, after which it will be signed by the President.
One of the major features of the bill is the implementation of a demerit points system, which will become active once the legislation has been adopted.
How the demerit system works
This system penalises drivers for traffic infringements using demerit points – with a demerit limit of 12 points.
If a driver’s total demerit points exceed 12, their licence is suspended for three months for every demerit point over 12.
Once a driver’s licence is suspended for the third time, it is cancelled and destroyed.
Drivers who continue to drive after their licence has been suspended are liable to a fine or imprisonment of up to one year.
The amount of demerit points a driver has accrued will reduce by one for every three months in which no demerits are incurred.
Demerit points
The applicable fines and demerits for traffic infringements are detailed below.
It is possible to accrue multiple demerit points in a single incident, as the points are awarded per violation.
| Infringement | Fine amount | Demerit points |
| Licences and miscellaneous | ||
| Driving an unregistered vehicle | R500 | 1 |
| Driving an unlicensed vehicle | R500 | 1 |
| Driving a vehicle with licence plate not visible | R500 | 1 |
| Driving without a driving licence | R1,250 | 4 |
| Driving without a seat belt | R250 | 0 |
| Driving under influence of intoxicating substance | Not set | 6 |
| Driving while holding and using a cellphone | R500 | 1 |
| Failing to stop | ||
| Skipping a stop sign (light vehicles) | R500 | 1 |
| Skipping a stop sign (buses, trucks) | R750 | 2 |
| Skipping a red light (light vehicles) | R500 | 1 |
| Skipping a red light (buses, trucks) | R750 | 2 |
| Failing to yield to a pedestrian | R500 | 1 |
| Overtaking and overloading | ||
| Overtaking across a barrier line (light vehicles) | R500 | 1 |
| Overtaking across a barrier line (buses, trucks) | R750 | 2 |
| Overloading a vehicle with max 56,000kg combination mass by 12-13.99% | R1,500 | 5 |
| Speeding | ||
| 81-85km/h in a 60km/h zone | R750 | 2 |
| 100km/h+ in a 60km/h zone | Not set | 6 |
| 106-110km/h in an 80km/h zone | R1,000 | 3 |
| 120km/h+ in an 80km/h zone | Not set | 6 |
| 121-125km/h in a 100km/h zone | R750 | 2 |
| 131-135km/h in a 100km/h zone | R1,250 | 4 |
| 140km/h+ in a 100km/h zone | Not set | 6 |
| 131-135km/h in a 120km/h zone | R250 | 0 |
| 141-145km/h in a 120km/h zone | R750 | 2 |
| 151-155km/h in a 120km/h zone | R1,250 | 4 |
| 160km/h+ in a 120km/h zone | Not set | 6 |
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