Having a quick pint at the local bar after work before heading home; is set to become a thing of the past.
This follows Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula claiming the new Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act will be going live in June 2020, an act which will go along with a zero-tolerance approach to drunk driving.
Currently, under the National Road Traffic Act (NRA), it is legal for drivers to get behind the wheel of a car with no more than 0,05-gram blood-alcohol concentration per 100 millilitres and 0,24 milligrams breath alcohol content per 1000 millilitres.
With the new system, Mbalula has now confirmed that his department will be moving ahead with 0% legal blood-alcohol limit. This means that a motorist will not be allowed a single drop of alcohol before they drive.
Along with the new stricter laws surrounding drinking and driving, the rollout of the Aarto will also see the introduction of a driving demerit system.
Demerits will be allocated to motorists for infractions such as driving without a seatbelt or while using/holding a cellphone. Each infraction will carry a different amount of points. For example, drunk driving may earn motorists six points, while driving without a licence is worth four points.
People who accumulate more than 12 demerits will have their driver’s licence suspended, with each point beyond the 12th demerit resulting in three months of suspension.
Those with more than 12 demerits will have their licence suspended. Every point beyond the twelfth demerit will result in three months of suspension.
With the new system to hit South African roads in June 2020, do you believe it will assist in making roads safer? Share your thoughts and views with us in the comment section below.
