Motorists who drive faster than the speed limit on South Africa’s roads may be caught speeding by traffic officers or speeding cameras. The result of this could be a speeding or traffic fine.
Why is speeding on public roads a punishable offence? 1
Speeding is dangerous. So, to save lives, the government implements ways to slow down motorists on our streets to within the allocated speed limits. It is not practical or plausible to slow motorists with speed bumps on every road, especially on highways. Speeding puts your life, other road users’ lives, and pedestrians’ lives at risk.
Why is speeding dangerous? A driver is more likely to have an accident if she or he is speeding. Speeding decreases the time that the driver has available to react to situations on the road.
Driving too fast increases the time and distance it takes for a vehicle to stop in an emergency.
Speeding reduces a vehicle’s manoeuvrability to avoid accidents, especially around curves in the roads and if pedestrians or objects are in the street. The severity of a potential vehicle accident also increases as the speed of the vehicle increases prior to the accident.
AARTO & speeding fines2
What is AARTO? It is the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act of 1998, which is an Act of South Africa’s parliament.
AARTO’s mission is to make South African roads safer by deterring people from speeding and by removing regular speeding offenders from our streets temporarily. Once fully implemented, AARTO will introduce a Demerit Point System, which will apply to all motorists.
How will the Demerit Point System work?3
- Every South African motorist will start with zero points to their name.
- Points ranging between 1 and 6 will be allocated to motorists depending on the nature of their traffic offence.
- Motorists’ drivers’ licenses will be suspended if they have accumulated the maximum 12-point limit. The driver’s licence would be suspended for the period that has been calculated in months. This is equal to the points exceeding 12, multiplied by three. The minister of transport can prescribe a specific number.
- A motorist may only apply for the return of their licence once the suspended period is over.
- A motorist will lose their licence and will have to redo their learners and drivers licence again if a motorist has a suspended licence for the third time.
- When motorists fail to pay their fines, they could face being blocked from obtaining their drivers and vehicle licences.
- With the AARTO Act in place, there is no need to deliver traffic infringements via registered mail, but can be sent via email, WhatsApp or SMS.
- These demerit points can be reduced by one point every three months.
Other speeding fines
Some areas may not participate in the AARTO system at present, such as Midvaal in Gauteng. In these areas, you will be fined for speeding and face existing punishments for related speeding offences.
No matter where you drive in SA, you may be pulled over on the road and be handed a fine for speeding if a traffic officer detected that your vehicle was travelling over the speed limit. You might get a speeding fine-related notice in the post if a speeding camera caught you driving your car over the speed limit, which needs to be paid.
How to pay speeding fines5
There are various online services that assist you with paying your fines. Even some banks offer this service online within their branches for participating municipalities. One can also go to the relevant traffic department, Post Office, selected shops such as Pick ‘n Pay, where you can pay the fine in person.
What happens if you don’t pay speeding fines?5
The consequences of not paying or contesting your speeding fines can be quite severe. An automatic warrant for your arrest could be issued should you either not pay your fine or dispute your speeding fine before the stipulated deadline.
It is advisable not to speed. Enjoy the peace of mind of driving safely and avoiding potential fines and future demerits. You may get extra peace of mind with affordable car insurance cover. Perhaps you are looking for affordable car insurance today?
Sources:
Some information is based on general knowledge.
1 https://www.arrivealive.co.za/Speeding-Road-Safety-and-Accidents
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_Adjudication_of_Road_Traffic_Offences_Act,_1998
5 http://www.702.co.za/articles/2366/alternative-ways-to-pay-traffic-fines-and-avoid-a-jail-sentence
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.