Received notice for summons

ToxicBunny said:
Well not really...

A fine etc is an annoyance, and if implemented correctly its very effective... currently its a revenue generating tool, and its very clear that it is such.

A criminal record on the other hand is not an effective tool to enforce the traffic laws... its just a big stick that the population will start ignoring.
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garp said:
Better law enforcement is good, but only if applied sensibly where the road conditions dictate.

Getting a criminal record because you didn't quite slow down fast enough in the long dual carriageway at the end of a 120km/h highway (which is where they love to put the traps in Cape Town) seems a tad unfair, however. Especially when you then get to watch taxis screaming down residential roads past schools all day with no consequence at all.
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As I already said though, I certainly do not approve our fearsome police force's habit of making traffic fines first and foremost a source of income, and I've heard first hand from ex traffic cops that this is exactly what it has been reduced to.

I am also all for consistency too, they should also come down like a ton of bricks on :
- taxi's behaving like ****ing philistines
- shockingly un-roadworthy vehicles
- people doing less than 60km/h on a highway

however

Going more than 50km/h over the speed limit should be a criminal offense, just as drunken driving is. It is just idiotic and dangerous, don't try to hide away behind excuses.
 
abandonallhope said:
As I already said though, I certainly do not approve our fearsome police force's habit of making traffic fines first and foremost a source of income, and I've heard first hand from ex traffic cops that this is exactly what it has been reduced to.

I am also all for consistency too, they should also come down like a ton of bricks on :
- taxi's behaving like ****ing philistines
- shockingly un-roadworthy vehicles
- people doing less than 60km/h on a highway

however

Going more than 50km/h over the speed limit should be a criminal offense, just as drunken driving is. It is just idiotic and dangerous, don't try to hide away behind excuses.
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This I agree with, but part of what is being discussed here is the fact that in places like eThekwini, going 13km/h over the speed limit and then paying an Admission of Guilt fine will end up with you getting a criminal record.
 
grim said:
No admission of guilt fines are prosecuted under Section 57 of the CPA, not AARTO even where it is enforced.
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Which makes the whole criminal record thing unconstitutional as you can't have a situation where the same offence in different areas leads to unequal treatment.
 
garp said:
Which makes the whole criminal record thing unconstitutional as you can't have a situation where the same offence in different areas leads to unequal treatment.
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Agreed but you're going to need very deep pockets to take a case to the constitutional court
 
So was the summons hand delivered by the sheriff of the court? Was asked earlier in the thread but didn't see and answer to that.
 
garp said:
Better law enforcement is good, but only if applied sensibly where the road conditions dictate.

Getting a criminal record because you didn't quite slow down fast enough in the long dual carriageway at the end of a 120km/h highway (which is where they love to put the traps in Cape Town) seems a tad unfair, however. Especially when you then get to watch taxis screaming down residential roads past schools all day with no consequence at all.
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Yeah. That's an unequal application of justice or at the very least inappropriate. To get a criminal record for doing that, or speeding up a bit when safe because the a-hole behind you is flashing his lights so you can overtake someone on the left and enter the lane is beyond insane. It's a human rights violation. And let's face it the punishment becomes cruel and unusual. People who dream up this stuff should be taken to the International Court of Human Rights. It's especially bad when its jurists who are trusted and supposed to know better. Where's justice? Not in SA.

So going 91 in a 60 zone which is dual carriageway, with no pedestrians or side streets and safe can mess someones' life forever and their family's life in a big way. And if the same sort of thing can happen after driving drunk or going 160km/h in such a zone, I dunno.
 
it seems there was a mass circulation of these text messages, when I checked up the reference number of mine I saw the fine related to an incident in April 2013, I didn't receive a fine at that time so I am simply ignoring this, to be notified almost 18 months later of a fine via text message should be sufficient to dismiss this one.
 
saturnz said:
it seems there was a mass circulation of these text messages, when I checked up the reference number of mine I saw the fine related to an incident in April 2013, I didn't receive a fine at that time so I am simply ignoring this, to be notified almost 18 months later of a fine via text message should be sufficient to dismiss this one.
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Surely an SMS doesn't qualify as a summons?
 
garp said:
Surely an SMS doesn't qualify as a summons?
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I didn't say it was a summons, the text message as I'm reading it starts off with "Summons process initiated..." so its just a notice to that effect.
 
saturnz said:
I didn't say it was a summons, the text message as I'm reading it starts off with "Summons process initiated..." so its just a notice to that effect.
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I got 3 of those SMS's last week. Went to the traffic department and paid them. Got another 3 to pay according to the traffic department print out. All from 2013.

I never once received any of these fines in my box.
 
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