South African motorists will start with a clean slate when the country’s new traffic demerit system is finally implemented, the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) has confirmed.
However, the nationwide rollout of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act has been delayed once again, pushing the countrywide implementation date from 1 December 2025 to mid-2026.
The announcement brings welcome relief to drivers who feared that existing traffic violations would count against them when the new system launches. “Everyone gets zero points to start. Rack up 15 points, and your licence is suspended for three months. Do that three times, and your licence isn’t suspended, it’s cancelled,” the RTIA stated in recent social media posts.
The Aarto Act represents a fundamental departure from South Africa’s current traffic violation system. Unlike the existing Criminal Procedure Act framework, Aarto introduces a point-based penalty system designed to encourage safer driving through progressive consequences for repeat offenders.
More serious infractions such as running red lights or moderate speeding will result in two to four points, while the most dangerous offences, including driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, will carry a six-point penalty.
The system was originally designed for gradual rollout across the country, but legal, technical and administrative challenges have repeatedly forced authorities to push back the nationwide deployment timeline.
Currently, Aarto operates a pilot project in Johannesburg and Tshwane, without the demerit point system. The clean slate will not apply to existing traffic fine emails demanding payments.
