AARTO Fleet Solutions

AARTO is coming!

by Dennis Jackson

Since the beginning of the horseless carriage era, traffic officers were appointed to maintain the standards and rules of the road and impose fines as deemed appropriate by the National Prosecuting Authority.

‘Traffic Officer’ is the collective term for professionals who are dedicated to upholding and enforcing traffic laws on the statute books in their jurisdiction. In addition to enforcing laws and traffic control, the function of traffic enforcement also involves managing the punishment process for people who are convicted of traffic offences, including managing the process of the AARTO act. Currently, this is clearly not the case.

As was mentioned in a previous article on AARTO, certain traffic law enforcement personnel are more focused on self-enrichment and procuring profit rather than upholding and enforcing traffic law efficiently and effectively. This unfortunately reaches even further into the higher echelons of Traffic Authorities and Municipalities.

The National Traffic Department informed Municipalities and Provincial Traffic Departments that they should be prepared for the national rollout of the AARTO system by April 1, 2012.

Gary Ronald, Head of AA Public Affairs, recently conveyed his thoughts on the matter: “We are devastated at the high death toll as it shows that the government is not taking proper action to keep the public safe on the roads. The question we are asking is: what didn’t happen last year and more importantly, how to change that in 2012.”

Very little emphasis is placed on reducing road fatalities. Why then are the authorities not setting up roadblocks on well-travelled routes in an attempt to catch unroadworthy, overloaded vehicles and drunk or unlicensed drivers? The reality is that massive roadblocks on well-travelled routes are implemented to ensnare drivers with outstanding traffic fines. Moving violations are completely ignored in the pursuit of speed related revenue harvesting.

KwaZulu-Natal Transport Department spokesman Kwanele Ncalane said the public needed to realise that the act was being implemented as a result of the uncontrolled number of accidents on South African roads, in addition to the general disregard for road safety by motorists.

Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesman Ashref Ismail confirmed that notices had been sent to all traffic departments and municipalities to be prepared to implement the system by April 1, 2012. “We have asked that all relevant departments be prepared for national roll-out by April 1^st,” he said.

Metro Police spokesman Eugene Msomi confirmed that the department had received notice of the AARTO implementation date and that officers had received training on the AARTO Act and were geared up for the roll-out on 1^st April 2012.

How then will AARTO influence this, if the new Act is assumed to be the answer to the road carnage problem? The answer is that it will only be the solution if the traffic authorities get out from behind bushes and efficiently and effectively put AARTO into operation. Traffic law enforcement needs to be effectually performed. Only when intensive, visible traffic monitoring and enforcement is carried out, will AARTO have the desired effect. The fact is that points-demerit systems all over the world have been proven to have a positive effect in the initial stages of implementation. However, this effect has declined as time has progressed.

The new AARTO Road Transport Legislation allows for the removal of entire fleets of vehicles from the roads. This is a harsh penalty which could have a severe impact on a company’s revenue and/or employee jobs. In today’s highly competitive market, corporate and other sectors simply cannot afford the damage to business and the fleet that could result from non-compliance of AARTO and the points demerit system.

Currently, many fleet owners, operators and drivers in this country have very limited knowledge of AARTO and its potential negative consequences. This could be damaging to your company’s effectiveness, productivity and service reputation.

AARTO does not replace the National Road Traffic Act of 1996, it merely replaces its practical enforcement and administration. It also adds a points-demerit system to driving licences.

The RTMC has also been very remiss in educating road users about the workings and implications of the AARTO system. Fleet owners should earnestly consider it a priority to be educated about managing the new law in relation to their fleet operation and they need to be fully aware of how AARTO could affect their fleet operations.

The saying, “Ignorance of the law is no defence” certainly holds true. It could easily become the ‘worst nightmare’ scenario. Unfortunately, most fleet operators are currently exposed to this risk.

The most effective way to deal with this issue is to attend a seminar or workshop on the AARTO system in order to be fully prepared and informed about how the new system operates and how to be fully AARTO compliant. This will reduce the risk of incurring massive and unnecessary costs.

Providentially or not, AARTO is coming and the fleet owner will need to be adequately prepared.