Designed to encourage safe and responsible driving, the Points Demerit Penalty System whereby road traffic infringements will be allocated demerit points besides the penalties and or fines issued.
According to this system, road traffic infringements are classified as Minor & Major Infringements and Offences, depending amongst other things, on the gravity of the risk the infringement places to the lives of other road users including pedestrians.
Demerit points range between 1 and 2 for minor infringements, 3 and 4 for major infringements whilst for offences demerit points range between 5 and 6.
Minor and major infringements will be adjudicated through the AARTO process except in instances where the driver elects to be tried in the court of law. On the other hand, road traffic offences are dealt with through the Criminal Procedure Act. Examples of such offences are drunken driving or exceeding the speed limit by 50% or more.
Road Vigil CEO, Kevin van Huysteen says this has created a market need for a GPS device like the Road Angel Navigator, which warns you of upcoming speed traps, through audible and visual alerts. Warnings include speed trap type, speed limit and proximity to hazard, are triggered as the driver approaches a known point, and it is the warning, or reminder, that assists the driver to save the ticket.
The threshold for the Demerit Points is 12. Once the driver exceeds the threshold, his or her licence will be suspended for the period calculated as the number of points exceeded multiplied by 3 months. For example, if the driver exceeds the threshold by 2 demerit points (i.e. accumulates 14 points), his or her drivers licence will be suspended for 6 months.
The major motivating factor for implementing the new point demerit system is the high accident rate in South Africa. One of the human components of accident cost is the loss of economic output of persons killed or injured in accidents. In a study by de Haan, lost output represented a proportion of 23% of the cost of an accident. In a fatal accident, the loss of output represented 80 % of the cost.
In a study in the USA, loss of wages over remaining life and loss of productive household activity were 85% of total cost of a fatal accident (lost wages represented 70%). Lost wages were 28% of the average cost of an accident. In this same study, household productivity lost accounted for 8.2% of the cost of all crashes and 15.9% of the cost of fatal crashes.
It then becomes an offence to drive whilst the licence is suspended. The driver’s licence or operating licence can be suspended for two consecutive times. On the third occasion the driver’s licence or operating licence will be cancelled for a period to be determined using a formulae. The person whose driver’s licence is cancelled shall be required to undergo the whole process of obtaining a driver’s licence.
Van Hussein added that the demerit point system would make drivers more cautious and have the potential to change their driving behavior.
According to this system, road traffic infringements are classified as Minor & Major Infringements and Offences, depending amongst other things, on the gravity of the risk the infringement places to the lives of other road users including pedestrians.
Demerit points range between 1 and 2 for minor infringements, 3 and 4 for major infringements whilst for offences demerit points range between 5 and 6.
Minor and major infringements will be adjudicated through the AARTO process except in instances where the driver elects to be tried in the court of law. On the other hand, road traffic offences are dealt with through the Criminal Procedure Act. Examples of such offences are drunken driving or exceeding the speed limit by 50% or more.
Road Vigil CEO, Kevin van Huysteen says this has created a market need for a GPS device like the Road Angel Navigator, which warns you of upcoming speed traps, through audible and visual alerts. Warnings include speed trap type, speed limit and proximity to hazard, are triggered as the driver approaches a known point, and it is the warning, or reminder, that assists the driver to save the ticket.
The threshold for the Demerit Points is 12. Once the driver exceeds the threshold, his or her licence will be suspended for the period calculated as the number of points exceeded multiplied by 3 months. For example, if the driver exceeds the threshold by 2 demerit points (i.e. accumulates 14 points), his or her drivers licence will be suspended for 6 months.
The major motivating factor for implementing the new point demerit system is the high accident rate in South Africa. One of the human components of accident cost is the loss of economic output of persons killed or injured in accidents. In a study by de Haan, lost output represented a proportion of 23% of the cost of an accident. In a fatal accident, the loss of output represented 80 % of the cost.
In a study in the USA, loss of wages over remaining life and loss of productive household activity were 85% of total cost of a fatal accident (lost wages represented 70%). Lost wages were 28% of the average cost of an accident. In this same study, household productivity lost accounted for 8.2% of the cost of all crashes and 15.9% of the cost of fatal crashes.
It then becomes an offence to drive whilst the licence is suspended. The driver’s licence or operating licence can be suspended for two consecutive times. On the third occasion the driver’s licence or operating licence will be cancelled for a period to be determined using a formulae. The person whose driver’s licence is cancelled shall be required to undergo the whole process of obtaining a driver’s licence.
Van Hussein added that the demerit point system would make drivers more cautious and have the potential to change their driving behavior.
:wtf: