South Africa hits the brakes on new driving laws

The Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, has confirmed that the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act has been delayed to 1 July 2026.

The first implementation stage of the AARTO Act was meant to commence on 1 December 2025.

However, the Department of Transport has assessed that some municipalities that were meant to be part of this first stage were not yet ready.

According to the department, the issues identified during its assessment included:

• The finalization of training of both law enforcement and back office personnel.

• The harmonisation of the current law enforcement system used by various municipalities, and funding thereof.

“The Department will soon publish the new proclamation with new staggered implementation dates, the 1st of July being the official implementation date,” said the Department of Transport in a statement.

“The phased approach of implementation will still be maintained as initially envisaged.”

AARTO disaster

This is far from the first obstacle that the AARTO Act’s implementation process has encountered.

Earlier this year, false reports were spread that the system would go live on 5 June 2025.

These were swiftly debunked by both the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) and the Department of Transport.

However, the RTIA and the Department of Transport’s subsequent timelines for the implementation of the AARTO Act led to more confusion.

RTIA spokesperson Monde Mkalipi stated in July that AARTO would roll out from 1 December 2025, whereas the Department of Transport’s Deputy Minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, said at the Department of Transport Budget Vote that AARTO would roll out from 1 October 2025.

It was eventually confirmed that the go-live date would be 1 December 2025 – until the Department of Transport’s newest delay.

How AARTO will work

When AARTO is eventually implemented, it will take the form of a demerit system that automatically assigns points to motorists who break the law and receive traffic fines.

Drivers will receive more points for more severe infringements, and one demerit point will be wiped off drivers’ records every three months.

When a motorist exceeds 15 demerit points, their license will be suspended for a period of three months for every point they have over this threshold.

Should a driver have their license suspended twice, and then cross the 15 point threshold for a third time, they will also have their license revoked.

This forces them to redo their learners and drivers’ exams after their suspension ends.

The table below shows the demerit allotments for different AARTO traffic offences:

Violation	Fine amount	Demerit points
Exceeding speed limit by 11-15km/h	R250	0
Exceeding speed limit by 16-20km/h	R500	1
Exceeding speed limit by 21-25km/h	R750	2
Exceeding speed limit by more than 40km/h	Criminal offence — Court hearing	6
Disobeying a stop sign or traffic light	R750	2
Failing to use indicators	R500	1
Driving without a licence	R1,250	4
Driving unregistered vehicle	R1,000	3
Driving vehicle without valid licence disc	R1,000	3
Driving vehicle with one number plate	R500	2
Driving vehicle without number plates	Criminal offence — Court hearing	6
Failing to keep left	R1,000	3
Failing to stop at an accident	Criminal offence — Court hearing	6
Driving under the influence	Criminal offence — Court hearing	6
Furnishing false information	Criminal offence — Court hearing	6