Aarto still enforceable pending ConCourt ruling, RTIA warns
The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) has warned motorists to keep on the right side of the law in order to avoid hefty penalties.
The warning comes amid a legal battle to scrap the Administration Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (Aarto).
Last week, the Pretoria High Court declared both Aarto and its amendment act unconstitutional.
The court ruling meant the implementation of Aarto, including the mooted driving licence points demerit system, would have to be halted.
The Department of Transport has since announced plans to appeal the ruling.
And this, the RTIA says, is the reason why motorists should not let their guard down.
"The RTIA wishes to inform road users that the provisions of the principal Aarto Act are still enforceable until the Pretoria High Court ruling is confirmed by the Constitutional Court,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Therefore, Aarto implementation continues until the Judgment on the constitutionality of the Aarto Act has been subjected to all due legal review processes."
The agency stands by the principles of the act as a means to curb road fatalities.
"Aarto is a national road safety intervention designed to change the behaviour of the road users towards curbing the high number of fatalities that occur on our roads. It is estimated that close to 14 000 road users perish on our roads annually due to traffic law violations committed by infringers."
It's unclear when the matter will be ventilated in the apex court.
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