Pretoria - Motorists who have been panicking about the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) and the demerit system next month can breathe a sigh of relief.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has clarified reports about the system which claimed it would be implemented from 1 October.
"The RTMC would like to assure the public that AARTO will not be implemented on the 1 October 2010," it said in a statement.
AARTO is a demerit points system that is geared towards making drivers comply with rules of the road.
Drivers lose points when the commit traffic offences. All drivers have 12 merit points to start with and lose them depending on the severity of the offence. This could eventually lead to the suspension of one's licence. However, points can also be earned through good behavior.
"The recent announcement by Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele about 1 October 2010 was in relation to the National Rolling Enforcement Plan (NREP), and the launch of the AARTO communication and educational campaign," explained RTMC.
With the implementation of the NREP on 1 October, the law enforcement will stop and check one million vehicles a month on the country's roads. The campaign will run until October next year.
"The dates for the national implementation of AARTO will be announced by the minister in due course," said the RMTC.
