The Road Freight Association (RFA) has questioned whether the implementation of the second phase of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Amendment Act will improve road user behaviour.
Phase two of AARTO came into effect last week and introduces measures aimed at improving road safety, promoting discipline among motorists and implementing a demerit points system for traffic infringements.
However, RFA CEO Gavin Kelly believes the legislation places too much emphasis on penalties without addressing the root causes of dangerous driving.
“Having 2,500-odd offences or infringements that can generate points is really ridiculous,” Kelly said.
He argued that countries with effective road safety systems generally focus on a smaller number of serious offences that have the greatest impact on reducing crashes and fatalities.
“In most countries, there are only about 20 offences, and those that have a large grouping of offences focus on those aspects that create bad road safety records and deal with that behaviour,” he said.
Kelly pointed to driving under the influence as one of the key offences that should remain a priority for enforcement.
While government said AARTO will encourage safer roads through stricter enforcement and accountability, the RFA maintains that simply assigning demerit points is unlikely to change driver behaviour. The association has called for a more targeted approach that focuses on high-risk offences, stronger law enforcement and improved driver education to achieve lasting improvements in road safety.
VOC News
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